Hello fellow pioneers!

Have you ever had an overwhelming feeling to do something? It takes over your body and your mind. You visualise it, you walk through how it could work, get excited about it, only to talk yourself out of making it a reality? 

This year - my 50th year - I knew I wanted to mark the milestone with something pretty epic. To celebrate in style and have the opportunity to thank my wonderful friends and family for being along for the ride. 

In my head I imagined a big, beautiful gathering in the most magical place where I could bring my favourite people together. 

I could picture it so clearly.

I was beyond excited. 

I knew exactly where I wanted the gathering to be held. A secluded glen in the Borders with a beautiful indoor structure, with camping, toilets, and a river running through it. It was off-grid, beautiful and encapsulated my vision. 

So I booked it. 

And then came the self sabotage. The limiting beliefs. The weight of the responsibility! What if no-one turns up? How can I organise a big event alongside running my own business? 

What on earth am I doing?  

I realised I needed to do something to help me fend off the fear. So I invited one of my best friends to join me by hosting a joint party. She said yes and at that moment I knew we were on. 

The power of the collective 

I asked people to save the date and really started to visualise what the event would look and feel like…and then disaster hit. 

In June, I discovered the confirmation email I sent back in January hadn’t reached the venue - I had been texting a landline number! Doh!

And because they had never heard back from me, the date had been booked out to someone else. 

The party started disappearing right before my eyes. 

I was so embarrassed!

But then, I was offered a cancellation date, for two weeks later. Suddenly we were back on. 

Friends came forward offering to cook meals. Friends in a band said they’d love to play. 

The theme, ‘Legends since 1974’ was set and my daughter offered to run the bar, serving up Kirsty’s Kicker, Sammy’s Smasher and the 1974 cocktails. 

Everything started to fall into place. 

The day arrived. It was a beautiful warm day and the event unfolded without any drama. I have an eclectic mix of friends from adventurers and business owners to self-confessed ‘hippies’, everyone came together to celebrate, and new friendships were made. 

Over 80 people came together to dance, sing, and camp in near zero temperatures, quickly thawed out by the late summer sun. My inner diva came out and it felt fabulous.

It was a magical feeling 

Hosting the event reminded me how creating something out of nothing gives me fire in my belly. It’s a magical feeling. We can all do it, but it’s often fear that stops us from actually making it happen. 

But when things align, when we remember the power of the collective, the support available to us, and how we’re braver than we think it’s possible to create something much bigger than you ever imagined.

Whether it’s personal or work related - trust your vision, the feeling you have, and then do everything you can to make it happen.

Be curious about your fear but then start to take action to make your vision a reality. You had that vision for a reason. Trust yourself you can do it and find a way to make yourself accountable for it. 

My next challenge is a 10k - if not a half marathon. I’ve been talking about it for months… So you my fellow pioneer, your role is to hold me accountable!

What future plans have you got but you’re talking yourself out of?

See you soon!

Kirsty

PS: I’m opening the doors to The Brave Collective. I’m looking for five pioneers to join me, interested in finding out more?  Reply to this and let’s have a chat.