On Car Trips with Babies & Overcoming Fears That Hold Us Back

This Image Below Holds Within It A MAJOR Business Lesson For You…

Hello, friends! It’s time to touch base on an important business skill: The ability to know we fear something and take action despite that fear, and I’m going to talk about that today  via a quick “bizpo” lesson (ya get it? Business +  inspiration, a.k.a. inspo = bizpo, just go with it…). But first, let me clarify something for you…In the image below, you aren’t just looking at a trunks-eye-view of my car, packed up with two dogs, a new baby, and a stroller.

Oh no! You are looking at a visual representation of a story I’m going tell you about how to take action and do the things you are avoiding (even if you’re not that good at them…yet) that I hope will bring you renewed optimism, courage, and positive anticipation for the work week ahead and the new tasks you will tackle! Please note, you do not have to be a mom (of anything) to appreciate and learn from this lesson!

As many of you know, I’m a new mom, and nearly daily I have to do something or deal with some type of situation that I’ve never dealt with before. Fortunately, these moments leave me feeling triumphant more than I am left feeling defeated, but there are definitely days I have to breathe deep and summon great strength to tackle new challenges great and small.

Things that sound so simple on paper can be so overwhelming or challenging in real mom life. If you follow me on Instastory (where I talk candidly on everything from business to bravery to babies) you know that one of the most daunting things for me as a new mom has been riding in the car solo with my daughter Juliette – especially when she isn’t “feeling it” – because there is very little more anxiety-inducing than listening to your baby scream until she settles into the car ride (if she does), and the anticipation of that moment alone is often painful enough. Add to that adventure the fact that along with the baby I often roll deep with two small dogs and a stroller that I’m still learning how to master, and, well, it can be quite a lot to execute – and psych myself up about doing in the first place.

The Plot Thickens…

Because of this ongoing trepidation I have when it comes to solo car rides with my posse of the real baby and fur babies, I will admit that I sometimes avoid doing anything car ride related until the weekends when my husband is home, or when I have help with the baby so I can head out solo. Yes, I get to avoid what I don’t like doing but it is also simultaneously limiting. Then this past week something happened that made that impossible…

Last week my darling dog George Michael started acting funky, and though I hoped he’d just resolve whatever was bothering him on his own, I soon realized that a responsible dog mom would take him to the vet.  I was flying solo at home so this meant that the baby, the dogs – including one sick dog  – and I all had to pile into the car to make the trip to the veterinarian.

In my head, the minute I knew this was going down,  I was totally nervous. Now, if you’re a “pro mom” at this point, you probably are laughing at me but when you’re new at anything even the thought of it can feel overwhelming. That’s why this is a photo so symbolic of triumph for me. I faced my fear, I woman-ed up, and I made it happen. This is the photo I took outside the car when – after two trips as a group back and forth to retrieve forgotten necessities for baby – I had the car packed up, I had the stroller in the trunk (after only a few attempts at closing it) and I had just breathed a massive sigh of relief. What you’re not seeing is me at the back of the car feeling totally satisfied with what I’d accomplished.

Want to hear something that was even more satisfying? The entire trip to the vet was painless: Baby slept, dogs chilled out, no one (human or animal) whined, cried, or pooped in my car, and we made it back in the same manner. After unloading everyone and everything when we returned home from our appointment I’ll admit that as trivial as the task was that I accomplished, I felt all the feels: relief, strength, proud, empowered.

Why am I telling you about this trip to the veterinarian’s office?

This trip, which in fact was an example of “fear-facing in motion”, is symbolic of taking on anything that is new to us. What I was avoiding as much as possible was something that any seasoned parent does daily without a second thought, and someday I’ll probably be in the same position.

What I was avoiding was holding me back from growing as a parent, and on a basic level, just getting more things done and more enjoyment out of my every day. You can only shack up indoors without going anywhere that requires transportation for so long…

So what is the “car trip” that you’re avoiding?

Now that I’ve shared the action that I was avoiding that was basically holding me captive in more ways than one, and fully limiting my progress as a mom and a human who wants to get things done, I want you to think about the things that YOU are avoiding that are holding you back.

Perhaps there are actions in your business or your life that make you feel the same way. Perhaps doing your business accounting or setting up a newsletter campaign is anxiety-inducing. Maybe the thought of posting to InstaStory gives you total analysis paralysis.  If you’re in this online space of mine, perhaps you have a desire to make public relations a part of your business but you are frozen and a little bit fearful when it comes to where and how to start. You think, “Can I do that? It sounds sort of overwhelming. How will I know how to start?”

The answer, my friends is simply to start. To begin. To focus on progress. To make small action steps. To do the things that scare you. To take action when it’s uncomfortable. To surround yourself with a community that will support you every step of the way.

There is no fear too big or too small that cannot be faced, dealt with, and taken on, and very often the first step is action! Sure, it may not be perfect, pretty, or your best attempt when you begin, but it’s an attempt, and here’s the thing about repeated attempts: They not only get you closer to your goals but each time you make one they’ll be more effective and you’ll be more confident in them!

So here’s to attempts of all kinds, even when we’re just beginners, or scared, or may even mess up a little bit along the way!

Let me help you take action!

One more thing, friends: When it comes to taking action in the PR department with courage, confidence, and a solid strategy to help you make your work much more successful and productive, I’m your gal! Help me help you! Here are two ways I can do that:

Join my Press for Success Facebook Community and surround yourself with hundreds of other business owners making buzz happen for their businesses, advice, industry insight, and yours truly cheering you on and answering your questions. DIVE IN HERE!

Kick it up a notch and become part of our (commitment-free) membership community. In it you’ll get instant access to incredible tools, live on-demand trainings and classes, exclusive industry insider interview and so much more! LEARN MORE HERE!

I hope to see you there! Until then, I’ll keep perfecting my mommy mobile status, and you keep tackling the things that you are tempted to avoid – we’ve got this, and we’re in it together!

Over to You…

How do YOU boost your confidence and pump yourself up to do the things you’re afraid of doing? Tell me in the comments below, I love adding new courage-boosting skills to my tool kit!