Outgrowing Your Bowl

Our third Arcadia Leadership Experience is sold out, and I am immersed in gratitude. I am also remembering that oof, this stuff does not just happen.

It's easy to look back after three years and lose sight of all the days that were really just one foot in front of the other. The trust it took, and the discomfort that came with it.

In Arcadia we talk a lot about stepping out of your comfort zone. This year, for me, has been a daily practice in doing exactly that.

I saw something the other day where a goldfish will grow (or not) to fit its environment. 2 inches in a fishbowl, up to 18 in a large aquarium or pond. To be fair I did 11 seconds of research to confirm so don’t quote me. In hearing this , I couldn’t help but recognize certainly put this theory to the test this year.

I stepped out of a title and a role I had grown accustomed to, out of a consistent salary and a schedule that was insane but at least ran on autopilot, and into something I had never done before.

Every day was a rollercoaster of the same questions. Am I doing this right? Will people show up? Are we going to make it? Is this worth it? Am I insane?

It turns out the answer to all of them is yes.

I am in an ocean now, and the growing pains are real, but my goodness it's worth it.

What I have learned is that if you keep showing up as the person you want to be, the world will eventually meet you there. Not overnight, but with consistency. And while you are putting one foot in front of the other, the progress will be invisible. Then one day you look up and think, wow, I really am closer to being the person I want to be.

Michelle Obama said something recently about parenting, that she tells her girls everything takes practice. Being a great athlete takes practice, and so does being a business owner, or someone who is kind, or someone who is great at their job, or someone who is a great parent or spouse.

We are all practicing something. We can sometimes forget that practice takes time, consistency, and intentionality.

Three sold-out events didn't happen because we had it figured out (absolutely not). They happened because we kept practicing in front of people while we were still figuring it out.

So here's to practice, and to outgrowing your bowl.

And so much thank you to all you who have been practicing alongside us.

Be Great.

Sam