How Uncertainty Became My CEO

 

The Aloha Guest Posts: While I’m away on vacation a few of my extraordinary friends will be keeping the fire stoked, sharing their wisdom and enthusiasm for living out loud. First up is Padma Maxwell of Get Your Thrive On who’s walking her talk, following her own dreams wherever they take her and as you’ll see she’s not always sure where that is!

 

Uncertainty consistently showed up at my door unexpected and uninvited. Yet, when I’d open the door, she didn’t say anything, she just stared at me. She was by far the most unsocial and unfriendly neighbor I had. I was always intimidated when I’d see her and unsure how to even hold a conversation with her.

She’d sit on her front porch watching the neighborhood go about their routines with a glare of “I told you so” in her eyes.

One afternoon, I was struggling with some heavy machinery in my garden and no one offered to help, except for Uncertainty. She came to my aid and devised an alternate solution to tilling my flowerbed. She was silent but offered her full attention and effort.

I had no idea how hard Uncertainty was willing to work to help out a stranger.

So, I invited her over for a home-cooked meal.  After a bottle of Cab Sauvignon, I shared with her my secret idea for a documentary project.

I was a little embarrassed because it was after all, just an idea; a crazy one at that.

I knew nothing about films, cameras or managing a project.

She didn’t laugh or tell me how unrealistic it was going to be to pull it off.

Quite shockingly, her response were four words that changed my life. . .

“Let’s do this together.”

So, we began packing up our belongings into two suitcases, bought a camera and hit the road for a journey to a new city every 30 days. We were on our way to gathering interviews.

 

But I had no interviews scheduled.

I didn’t know where we were going to live.

No one knew that we were arriving and what our plans were.

I began to panic.

I started drawing a blueprint and outlining our to-do list.

Whew – now I felt ready to move forward!

Then uncertainty did something that devastated me.

At the rest stop on I-80, she stole the car keys, jumped in the driver’s seat and threw my map out the window.

I cried.

I screamed.

I threw fists.

She sat there watching as I had a child’s tantrum and just smiled at me.

I was furious and in my hissy fit, she pulled over so we could grab a bite to eat.

The hostess was an old friend of uncertainty’s and invited us into her home.

We kept running into acquaintances of Uncertainty’s. They all wanted to help us out and within one week, we had interviews booked and volunteers on board.

I’m still amazed at how efficient Uncertainty is.

I occasionally freak out, but she reminds me how far she’s journeyed with me and that she’s not giving up.

I began to fully trust Uncertainty, perhaps even more so than myself.

**********

Two months into the project now and uncertainty and I are two peas in a pod.

We’ve just moved to our next city (San Francisco) and we’ve had six people join our team. Want to join our team or be a part of the documentary? Check us out at www.projectshethrives.com

Between travels and interviews for Project: SHE Thrives, Padma works with healers, artists, coaches, and creatives where personal growth meets business strategy. She’s big on masterminds for smart, foxy women, and she also works with clients one on one, to increase their revenue while making a bigger difference in the world. More on that over at: www.GetYourThriveOn.com