Blue Tree Tip of the Week
I’m calling bulls*&t on the whole “curiosity killed the cat” thing. The phrase is meant as a warning to mind your own business, basically. And while getting overly caught up in other people’s business often leads to negative results, I don’t want to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. Curiosity is one of the most powerful emotions in the human experience.
Why?
Because of the kinds of actions that curiosity drives. It leads us to seek knowledge and understanding, often without negative judgments.
Take my recent business blunder (miss my email from last week? You just might want to go get it out of your trash!). As I explained, it created a whole lot of shame for me. And we know that shame and negative self-judgment do not tend to fuel growth and learning. In fact, tons and tons of research shows that they actually shut down the learning centers of our brains.
When we shift to curiosity, we can learn and explore. Some important questions I was eventually able to ask myself were: Why did I make this mistake? Where did I learn that I needed to outsource my own authority? Where else has this played out in my life? And most importantly: What do I want to do about it now?
See, when it comes to assessing situations in our lives, curiosity can be our bestie. This is true in business, too. Entrepreneurship in particular requires trial and error. So when we encounter errors, it’s so much more productive to assess them with non-judgmental curiosity. Then, we can learn and adjust and progress.
OK, so if you’re with me in seeing that curiosity is a powerful emotion, the next question is how do we cultivate it?
As with all emotions, it starts in our minds with our thoughts. What are some thoughts you can easily have that can invite in a sense of curiosity? Anything that begins with “I wonder” is a good place to start.
Real Coaching Results
One of the things we offer our clients is branding. That means a logo, along with customized colors and fonts and even a brand board. And when I say “we” I’m really talking about my brilliant business manager, Jenna. Jenna has created branding kits for a couple of clients in our current round of Side Gig School and our clients love what she’s created so much.
When people ask me whether they need a website, or a logo, or any of the other trappings of being a “real business” to grow their side hustles, my answer is always no. You really don’t need anything other than an idea, an offer, and a way to let people know about it.
But, what I’m seeing with my clients is that when they do have some of the bells and whistles of their businesses in place, they somehow feel more legit or real. It’s an identity shift that I’m noticing, and that matters a lot. Because how we see ourselves inevitably translates to our actions, which of course create results in our side hustles.
I’m really excited to be able to offer Blue Tree Biz Branding to our clients.
Podcast Recommendation
Here Comes the Judge. Judge Dawson is a full-time judge in East Cleveland and also a yoga teacher and studio owner. I had the privilege of taking Judge Dawson’s class last weekend and then discovered his podcast. Friends – it is inspiring and engaging. And all about how to live a good life. Check out my new favorite jurist.
