#184: The First Step To Starting Is permission
I invite you to finally take the leap— your new season is asking you to embrace it. Creating this chapter with your self-expression, message and creativity at the helm, is nothing short of magic.
But it takes risk. Choosing a new direction or launching something you've never done before requires permission to think differently, believe in what you know is possible deep down and trust that it's worth finding out what happens next.
If you’re caught between excitement and uncertainty, or you find yourself stuck in preparation mode, this episode is the nudge you need to step into action and bring your ideas to life. You’ll find inspiration to assess your resources, give yourself permission to make mistakes, and cultivate the confidence to start.
It’s time to claim your moment!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why giving yourself permission to start messy is the key to launching your dream project
When and how to push past fear, people-pleasing, and internal resistance to create a life that’s true to your purpose
Why your passion and purpose never go away, even during pauses, and how to use that energy to plan for your next leap
The FREE Audio-First Podcasting Action Plan
Get clear on what you actually need to start your podcast (and what you don’t)
00:00 How to give yourself permission to start now
06:16 planning Your podcast launch
10:10 How to embrace mistakes at the beginning of your podcast journey
11:18 How to give yourself permission to plan for the resources and bandwidth you have
More episodes on this topic:
Ep.45 - Launch The Creative Business You've Always Wanted By Starting A Podcast
Ep.46 - BEGIN PODCASTING: 3 Steps To Defining Your Message with Purpose
Ep.179 - Should I Start A Podcast?
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Read the Full Transcript
Christina Barsi [00:00:53]:
Hi, welcome back. This is Barsi, your host, and today I'm sharing a previous episode with you because I think the message in this one is really important if you're new.
Christina Barsi [00:01:04]:
To me and this podcast.
Christina Barsi [00:01:05]:
Firstly, thank you for being here, but I just want to take an opportunity to introduce to you what one of my main missions is not just here in the podcast, but also in my life. And that is to find ways to help you connect with yourself and your message or purpose, and ways to create actionable tools, belief systems and pathways for you to do that. And I believe podcasting is one of those things. That's why I talk about podcasting so much on this channel, and that's also why I chose this industry to build one of my businesses in. The message I share with you in this episode today is about starting. Starting before you think you're ready, starting so that you can give yourself the opportunity to make the discoveries you need along the way and to get better and become more clear in ways that can only happen when you begin the process. It's taken from a six series season called Begin Podcasting, starting back with episode 45. So go back to episode 45 and you can catch the other episodes in this Begin podcasting series.
Christina Barsi [00:02:18]:
They take you through the whole foundational process to starting your podcast. And I do recommend going back and listening to all of those as well. Again, that's episode four, 45 through episode 50. So if you're excited about your idea and things are feeling a little confusing, or you might be getting in your own way, then this episode is for you. So let's get started.
Christina Barsi [00:02:43]:
In this episode, I am personally giving you permission to fuck it up. Because there's a point in time where it becomes more important to start to begin than to keep preparing and preparing and preparing. You've got to start. It's the moment we've been building towards and this is it. This is the moment. And I'm going to tell you that you're going to make mistakes you're supposed to. You're going to do things that feel less than perfect. You're also going to get better if you stick with it and look back at the stuff you've made now and see the big differences in quality or in your ability, or in the content, or maybe even the type of guests you have on.
Christina Barsi [00:03:24]:
Or you may even shift gears in your theme and topics as you go along, or your podcast mission and how you serve your purpose. Or you may discover a whole new audience than who you thought would show up. There are just so many things that are waiting for you to discover along your journey or for you to see growth in or pivot with. And I can confidently tell you that I know for sure that none of that will be possible. And until you begin, you must give yourself permission to actually start to put action to your ideas and to your preparation steps. And for me, that usually means giving myself permission to completely and utterly fuck it up. And in the past, sometimes it was giving my clients, for example, permission to not worry about disappointing me or, you know, not doing it, or changing their mind about an idea or not liking an idea I had and having a different one. There's so many opportunities to give permission, to not have to people please the people in your life or the mentors in your life or the people who you think are watching, and also yourself.
Christina Barsi [00:04:38]:
For me, it's usually for myself, and when I'm working with someone else and it becomes whoever that person is. So these are normal feelings. They do come up. I remember clearly telling one of my clients, you know, don't worry about what I think. I'm here to help you do what needs to happen for you. So in this case, we're not working directly together, but we kind of are in a roundabout, sort of free, open way. So I'm giving you permission to not worry about any of that. And this is the moment where it's more important to just get started.
Christina Barsi [00:05:14]:
I'll give you an example from my life. When I first started my business, and when I'd have those nights where I felt like I didn't know what I was doing or wasn't totally confident that it was going to work out, I would, in my mind, remind myself that I was allowed to fuck it up, that if it all went to shit, that I could still go back to my old life, I could use the skills I was using before to make money if I had to and that it wouldn't mean that I failed for trying. If I never tried and never gave myself the chance to fail, find out if I could do it. That would be the mistake, because I wouldn't be learning from that mistake until I decided to take action. And here's the disclaimer. I also want to point out that you still need to be aware and realistic of what your resources are. We talked about resources in a previous episode as well, and we talked about it specifically with your podcast. But this applies to any endeavor.
Christina Barsi [00:06:16]:
So this endeavor as a whole, the timing of it, do you have safety nets? Do you have people who can help? Do you have some money to invest? And if you do not right now, can you plan for it? What does that timeline look like? So those are the next questions to ask. If you're like, there are still things in my way that have nothing to do with being afraid to start. Sometimes it's the pragmatic, realistic things that are in the way. So don't let those stop you either. Just figure out what needs to happen next. So let's just take a sec to really hone in on what I'm saying here. If you've listened to the other four episodes, five if you include the introduction episode, which was called Launch the creative business you've always wanted by starting a podcast, and you've maybe re listened now a few times to some of them and taken some notes and hopefully done some of the exercises and applied the principles I've outlined in the in the past few weeks to your own process, then that means you're doing the work. And we talked about assessing your assets and resources regarding starting a podcast like I just mentioned.
Christina Barsi [00:07:20]:
Meaning figuring out what you have in your favor now that will help you get started, and also acknowledging where your roadblocks are so that you can find some solutions to keep the flow going. And if you recall, one of the examples was post production. This is a roadblock for many people. It can feel like a lot to learn or a time sucker, which it totally can be both of those things. So maybe you find a way to outsource this. But what if you absolutely cannot afford to do that right now? You have maybe two choices. You can devise a plan to save money or raise money to specifically fund post production, or you can find an easier show design that allows you to have less post production needed and you can still get started sooner than later. So those are some ideas of how you can begin to solve that problem.
Christina Barsi [00:08:12]:
Neither of these choices are good or bad because they both offer a path to getting started. The third option that I didn't mention is putting it off altogether. So the thing here is there isn't anything wrong with that choice either. Not necessarily. But here is what I ask Ask yourself why you want to postpone. If you've done the work this far like I outlined a moment ago. If that's you and you feel like it's the thing you want to try, you feel excited, you're feeling inspired, but you're also feeling scared, then choice number three is not the choice for you. I believe you can find solutions to figure out your start.
Christina Barsi [00:08:55]:
In fact, I know you can. It can be done. That might mean finding a way to outsource a task, or it might mean asking for help from your community. But I know that if you challenge yourself to find a way, then I truly believe that a solution will arise. If this sounds like you, then I'm here to tell you to take the risk. You deserve to find out what happens next. You are worth knowing what you're capable of and to learn from your mistakes. You're worth making mistakes.
Christina Barsi [00:09:25]:
Think about that for a moment because that is what risk looks like. It means there will be some bumps and some scary moments and mistakes. And as you keep at it, you get to grow and learn and gain the experience you need in order to garner the successes that come with building something you love. Now if you go through the process and you assess your resources and you realize that you do not have the time, the support and the means or the capacity to start a new venture right now, then that is a very valuable realization. Your passion for your purpose and what you care about will not just disappear. You have that. That's you. That's who you are.
Christina Barsi [00:10:10]:
That's yours forever. Instead, use this time to game plan how to become ready when the right amount of resources to create the circumstances you need in order to take the next steps to begin and launch. This has also been true for me in some instances where opportunities presented themselves that I felt aligned with but I was not in the financial situation to invest or co found for example, or you know, things like that. Time of life has played a factor for me in some cases where I realized that some opportunities would take away from other goals I had and that my actions and how I was involved would be influenced by that. Those were not regrets because they were not driven by fear or roadblocks, but rather by a clear assessment of my goals, my resources and my core. In each of those cases I listened to my gut and and then took a realistic look at where I stood with my assets. Now, I want you to ask yourself these questions. One, what do I need to feel safer or more comfortable in getting started? In the case of podcasting, it might be getting a co host or bringing on guests you know really well.
Christina Barsi [00:11:18]:
First, for example, the second question. How can I plan or organize my next steps to create the assets or resources I'm missing to start right now? Usually it's time and money. Those are the most common things that we have that we struggle with. And their third question, number three, is not really a question. I just want you. It's the theme of this episode. I want you to give yourself permission. Permission to plan, permission to be scared, permission to do it anyway.
Christina Barsi [00:11:52]:
Permission to start too soon or start too late or start badly or start because everything feels right. And permission to fuck it up. Just go make stuff. This is your time and we're listening. Look, I cannot wait to see what you create. So go out there and make it. I would love to hear what you're creating and building, so please share it with me. I would really, really love to hear what it is that you're working on.
Christina Barsi [00:12:24]:
And I will see you next week.
