Let them do them. You do you.
“It’s just not my bag.”
Easily one of the most freeing and empowering phrases in the English Language.
Whenever these words march out of a client’s lips I am overjoyed.
It means they have stopped the struggle. Given up fighting the good fight. They have surrendered the implicit “shoulds” they have been carrying for way too long.
When they declare “It’s just not my bag!” they are accepting the magnificence of who they really are and relinquishing who they “should” be.
It means instant additional capacity and focus to pour into what IS their bag. To be more of who they are. Doing what they are intrinsically talented at. Serving the world in the way that they innately do best. That they have turned their face to the sun.
I saw this recently with a fantastic homemaker of 4 who always felt inadequate compared to her spouse’s massive all-singing-all-dancing captain of industry career. She kept feeling “less than” because she couldn’t make any of her big business ideas real. She would find excuse after excuse. Procrastinate endlessly. Continual start-stop.
The truth of the matter was that the venture capital meetings and having a” board” was just not her bag. At all. She relished looking after people. Organising small touches that bring immense joy to others. Taking the small everyday elements of life and elevating them to excellence. Making others feel valued and appreciated. Creating huge family parties and cooking up a storm for three days before with immaculate presentation and elegant personal touches.
Embracing that fully, and monetising a clever small scale homespun sideline, brought her amazing satisfaction and a raving fan base.
Another client was always feeling under pressure to create amazing, lavish, complicated family meals with hours of prep. Just like her mother-in-law loves doing with such aplomb. Except, she would much rather be creating the amazing new physiotherapy course she had authored, and feed the family quick, easy healthy meals that are prepped and cleared in minutes.
The big foodie fest thing? Just not her bag. Someone else’s bag. Dropping that expectation and embracing her own thing, has meant she has got her product to market in half the time and is resentment-free when she is in the kitchen, and guilt-free when she is at the laptop.
It’s one of the most liberating decisions of your life to joyfully surrender the stuff that is not your bag.
Let it be done with more brilliance, efficiency and enjoyment by those whose bag it is.
Whether that’s creating 5-star gourmet dinner parties or running the tech side of a website.
Connecting people and making them laugh. Delivering a killer training programme. Whatever.
The amount of FREEDOM to be found in acknowledging when it’s just not your bag will take your breath away.
It will FREE you for greatness in what IS your bag.
There is no point trying to be the Princess of the thing someone else does so much better, when you can be the Queen of your own thing.
There are more than enough bags to go round.
It’s not a competition.
It’s just life.
So, what if you don’t put together the most perfect lunchbox with all the little compartment thingies? You rock backing that trailer like no one else’s business. You can magic up a whole new brand colour scheme to die for.
Let them do them. You do you.
No one can do it better.
