I have been wrestling with how to close out a project that has been consuming my mind, energy, and emotions. The project is a risk, and includes trying to help others launch their big ideas into the world.
I have learned a few things along the way.
Taking risks is hard.
Launching ideas is scary.
Fear of failing is paralyzing.
But.
We move forward despite the resistance.
We will have doubts during the entire journey.
We will feel stuck, get stuck, and periodically wiggle free.
So.
What do you do when you are at the end of a project?
How do you end one journey and make sure it closes out correctly?
How do we move from one project to the next?
I was recently talking to a close friend and they offered a great word.
Permission.
And not just any Permission.
Two specific areas of Permission.
Permission to Rest.
Permission to Celebrate.
Permission to Rest – to acknowledge that your efforts and energy that you put into this project will require recharging afterwards and to make space and allow yourself to rest without feeling guilty, lazy, or worthless.
Permission to Celebrate – to acknowledge that you did something, created something, and made something happen, and to give yourself some credit even if it wasn’t perfect or exactly what you had hoped.
Permission to both Rest and Celebrate is difficult.
We are so “busy” that natural Rest feels like we are doing something wrong.
We are so critical and/or trying to be humble that to Celebrate feels wrong as well.
Maybe all projects should end with Permission.
Go ahead and give yourself the Permission to Rest and Celebrate.
And just in case that is hard to do, we give you Permission for both.
Carl Weber Consulting 