The Messy Middle

Let’s talk about the messy middle of life, shall we? I’m definitely not turning 16 (LOL! 😂 You couldn’t pay me to do that again.) and… the 80s Brat Pack classic, Sixteen Candles, is decidedly NOT sensitive to our times today (so please don’t send me reply hate mail), but it’s the first thing that grabbed me for this week and I’m going with it.

Here is where you start to grow up in your post-baby-entrepreneur days. One day you’re an awkward 15-year-old and the next day you’re an awkward 16-year-old. Such is life… and business.

We’d all like to believe that we’re special snowflakes, but let’s get real here… We’re all just awkward teenagers going to Entrepreneur High School… trying to survive until we graduate.

Did someone say “high school”?

Reminds me of a certain newsletter about High School Musical… hmm… 🤔

When you’re in high school, you make all kinds of stupid mistakes. You’re emotional (friggin’ hormones) and you don’t have any context or hindsight. You don’t know why it’s a bad idea to be “nice” and give the geek your undies.

You have no idea how bad that decision is going to turn out… but you will very soon. Anyone here made a business decision that they regretted? Speaking of service “trades” this is like giving Farmer Ted your undies.

You will deal with people who forget about you, who don’t pay attention to you, and while you’re crushing on your ideal client, you won’t know yet that they are also crushing on you.

But first, you have bigger problems… Your family is c-r-a-y.

And this is the truth about maturing in business.

You start with the systems and support that naturally come with you. As you mature, you learn that they might not be everything your world is meant to encompass.

It’s like the moment you realize that your parents are really just people like you… this is the equivalent to learning that your business idols also put their pants on one leg at a time.

Your big wake up call comes when you expect your business world to remember things about you… like your 16th birthday… and they totally forget. They’re consumed with other distractions and you realize you’re outgrowing the space you’ve been comfortable existing inside of this whole time. This is the big sign that you’re due for bigger & better things.

You’ll endure awkward networking events (hello high school dances & parties) and there will always be kids who are way cooler than you. That high school gym is the same environment inside any mastermind program or workshop-of-the-moment that’s gone viral on Instagram. Everyone wishes they were cooler than they are… in reality we are all like Farmer Ted.

Sometimes you’ll have to do things for others when you’d rather not… like deal with your sister’s Percocet & Vallium wedding march. 😂 It means that sometimes you’ll watch another entreprenuer walk down her fairy tale aisle while you’re still playing the role of the bridesmaid. It happens. You’re in high school. 🤦🏻‍♀️

These are the stages we go through in life and in business. It’s uncomfortable being in the awkward high school stage. You want more and you want it now, but it’s not time yet. You’re still growing up and, frankly, you have a lot to learn.

The magic begins when your dreamy clients start to grow up, too, and one day they’re waiting for you. Just like Jake Ryan picking you up outside the church after your sister’s wedding. It’s your job to be ready for them. The question you want to ask yourself today is, Are you ready for your ideal clients today? If Jake Ryan asked you on a date, would you be able to say “yes”?

Remember that in Sixteen Candles, Jake totally approaches Samantha at the dance and Samantha slinks away in embarrassment. When he picks her up at the end of the movie, this is not the first time he’s approached her. This is a LOT like how we are with our dreamy clients in business, too.

How many times have you done the same thing, effectively passing up your ideal clients because you’re not emotionally ready for them?