ON INTUITION + GROWTH: For the better part of a year, my intuition has been telling me I need to expand into teaching. Easy, right? People teach all the time. Unfortunately, speaking up & sharing what I know in a group setting is particularly terrifying to me. I'm very comfortable speaking one-on-one, but the few times I've stood in front of a large group I've actually left my body. I’ve known I need to try teaching but I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I felt stuck.
About a month ago I got an email invitation to join one of five Field Trips presented by our local chapter of Creative Mornings. These are small gatherings where you meet up to hear a creative leader speak about their expertise. When I read through the topics, I heard "Go to the architecture talk," which is the last one I would normally choose. But I followed my intuition & signed up for it.
On the morning of the Field Trip I arrived early & started saying hello to strangers. I met Nadine & we quickly realized we both sew. She mentioned the fabric store where she'd recently taken a class with just three other students. I told her I had offered alterations there for a short time a few months ago, & she said to me, "You should teach an alterations class at The Cloth Pocket." That sentence hung in the air for me as though it were written in bold type. Nadine had given me a key. Here was a chance to dip my toes in the waters of teaching, in a place I felt comfortable in, on a topic I love, for a handful of students.
Fast forward: my first alterations class is March 25th! I'm ready with my agenda, my method, my message, & hell yes I am nervous. Should I have written a different more confident caption? Probably! But this is the truth. I’m not a seasoned teacher but I’m pretty damn good at alterations so here I go.
I share this story for many reasons, but here are two truths that always serve me: (1) When your soul calls you to grow, accept the call in spite of the fear you feel. (2) Tune to the quiet voice of your intuition. "Go to the architecture talk," was something I could have easily blown off or rationalized away, but look at what it led to so quickly!