Hi Taryn, 

As I mentioned in last week's Messy Message, I said I would dig into my version of courageous leadership with the principle of Show Up!

Here's what is emerging for me on this principle:

• It's having a hard conversation with my daughter when I didn't have all the answers for her and I knew I would be disappointing her.
• It’s asking a hard question of my partner when I knew the answer wasn't going to be what I wanted to hear.
• It's sitting down here to write a newsletter and not knowing where to start.
• It's asking for help from my assistant to complete a task I know I could do myself, but It's just not the best use of my time.
• It's apologizing to someone who is helping me because I was too rushed in my communications and didn't explain my intent well.
• It's holding a powerful conversation with beautiful souls who are navigating the emotional waters of the election.

All this happened to me in about a span of 4 hours in a day last week. I forget that throughout my day, these things are all part of how I lead courageously within myself and for others. When I put down my armor of perfectionism and show up vulnerably to ask hard questions or the need to set a boundary. This is when my true self shows up and allows me to appreciate my humanity;  cracks, faults, and all. 

Showing up in this way didn't happen overnight for me. It's been part of my personal growth journey these past 8 years. Hats off to Brene Brown who I like to say was my first guru who exposed me to the idea of vulnerability in her book "Daring Greatly; How courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead".

I love that her book illuminated for me the concept of courage. I both loved [and hated] what I was confronted with. Do you or have you had similar thoughts to mine when you read the points below?:

• Courage is being vulnerable. [No… please not that, I don't want to share my emotions!]
• Courage is going into the arena even though there will be criticism. [Maybe I cab avoid criticism by being perfect!]
• Courage is showing up anyway. [I'll just keep hiding behind the screen!]
• Courage is taking off the armor of perfectionism. [No, No, No!]

Yeah, I was that person who read the book, spoke about how important it was to be all those things, but I resisted like crazy to go all-in on actually living it. Until I couldn't resist anymore. 

Avoiding and Perfectionism weren't serving me and was actually harming my relationships and stifling my career.  It's been a journey for sure. The Positive Intelligence work by Shirzad Chamine has been a game-changer for me. It's cracked the code for me and other clients to recognize how harmful these and several other saboteurs have been in my life. If you're curious to know more about Positive Intelligence, click here.

I'm curious…

• How are you showing up courageously in your life?
• What do you want to embrace more of?
• Where is one place you want to Show Up this week with more courage and vulnerability?

Share with me in an email how you want to embrace Showing Up this week. Or click here to schedule time with me if you’re someone who is hijacked by hiding and wants to step out into the light.

Sending you the courage to be YOU in this messy and imperfect world,

Taryn Laakso, ACC | CPCC
Unlaaking Your Potential, LLC

Taryn Laakso provides individualized 1-on-1 coaching, group coaching programs, and resources designed to ignite creativity, stoke the flames of inspiration, and guide clients in developing their own inner wisdom. After years of working as an HR professional, she brings a consultative approach to her coaching and is passionate about working with mid-career professionals who are feeling stuck and stagnant and foggy about their decision if they want to move up or out of their corporate careers. 

She is differentiated by her focus on mindset and weaves together a variety of coaching tools in her approach to transforming the lives of her clients. Taryn views herself as a “sherpa” whose role it is to guide her clients through their journey from a life of practicality and fear to a life of passion and purpose.