It wasn’t until I was about two weeks away from launching a new website, two books, the Brave workshop, and Fuck Yah magazine into the world that I considered what a terrible, stupid thing I’d done.
“Um…I think I took on too much.”
“…ya think?”::awkward silence followed by eyes brimming with tears::
Luckily, I DID IT. While I’m by no means through this particular bout of being unreasonable — writing this on launch day and all — I can tell you a little bit more about my good friend and conspirator, the U-word.
Unreasonable-with-a-capital-U works on a few basic principles and is capable of surprising you with the magnitude of your own accomplishments.
First, being Unreasonable takes faith.
Can you do it? YUP.
Your friends and loved ones will look at you funny. Even your best friends might say you’re trying to do way too much. Only you know the difference between Horribly Busy with No Real Deadline and Getting Shit Done in the Name of Being Unreasonable. When you’re working in the latter mode, ignore the naysayers and clear your calendar.
You. Can. Motherflipping. Do. It.
There is no other option.
Now what?
Being Unreasonable takes a bright vision.
What is it you want to leave behind when you leave the planet? That’s the basis of a bright vision, and this That’s What She Said podcast episode will help you figure it out.
Being Unreasonable takes a great deal of prioritizing.
I prioritized nutrition and sleep over getting every last teeny tiny technical detail taken care of, so if you find a wrinkle or 23, that’s to be expected. Perfection doesn’t exist, and none of what I’m producing is even close to it, but my vision has come to fruition and is officially in the world. The tweaking I have to do when the work is public doesn’t scare me as much as never having found the courage to put out in the first place.
Where are you letting what you say you want be overshadowed by perfectionism? The 6-people principle can help you sort that out.
Being Unreasonable takes other people.
I asked Bear (that’s my partner, also known as Steve) to call Paypal when my account was shut down for selling Art for Aleppo. Apparently the word Aleppo is regulated by the federal government and alerts the FBI, or something? That’s still not cleared up, but here I am, launching anyway…
I pushed as much work as I could to my graphic designer, to my photographer and perfection porn maker, and to the only e-mail company who migrates your lists for you. I asked a friend to help me set up my new e-mail address — and then to contact the appropriate places when that proved to be harder than programming missiles, which is what he does for a living.
Basically, I gathered the troops and asked them to help and asked them to help and asked them to help. It’s excruciatingly difficult, but I got the help I so desperately needed.
Where are you willing to ask for help in the name of getting your Unreasonable tasks accomplished?
Being Unreasonable takes complete honesty.
I don’t have the (completely enviable) energy of superstars who can push new things out with great fanfare, complete with launch design and strategy that rolls out over the course of three or four jam-packed weeks. I have wretched and predictable Seasonal Affective Disorder, which comes in and layers itself on top of my depression every single winter. This year is no exception.
Doesn’t mean I’m not excited about my work. Doesn’t mean I’m not absofuckinglutely THRILLED to have you here.
Just means I’m being honest when I admit I don’t have the energy to do continuous launch-y cartwheels in order to get your attention. Rather than waiting until the sun appears sometime in June to make this new and delightful work happen, I have to ask for your help instead.
THE SCARY PART WHERE I ASK FOR YOUR HELP
May you be more and more Unreasonable as the years go on, and may that spirit help you grow infinitely more alive with each passing moment.
With all my love —
K
