Why I Said Yes to a One-Woman Show and Why You Don’t Need Permission to Do Something That’s Calling You

If you've ever felt that pull toward something that doesn't make sense on paper, then you’ll want to read on as I share why I said yes to a one-woman show and why you don't need permission to do whatever is calling you.

What Is This One-Woman Show?

I have decided to write, produce, and star in a one-woman show. I'll let someone else direct me and serve as the stage manager, and I'll handle the other pieces. I have zero theatre background, and I'm doing it anyway.

Maybe there are things in your life that are calling you, kind of intriguing you, pulling you forward, or getting you excited about something.

The Problem: Most People Ignore It

They don't listen to the calling or the spark, however you label it. They push it down. But there's a feeling that just keeps coming up. You think about it randomly, and it doesn't go away. Sometimes, eventually, someone else does it, and then you see them, and you're so mad that they're doing it.

What is this something that could be pulling you forward?

• A creative idea
• A new direction for your business or your career, or maybe even your hobbies
• Trying something completely out of your lane
• Something that doesn't always have to make sense
• Something that doesn't always have to fit your identity

For me, doing this one-woman show is what keeps calling me.

Over the past few years, I've been really interested in glass blowing. While I haven't gotten out to do it yet (I've paid for a session, I haven't done it), I have watched the Netflix Series Blown Away, been to the Chihuly Glass and Garden Gallery in Seattle, and the opening of their glass-blowing festival. There are other areas where I get this spark, this urge, this pull, and I say yes to it. Not always immediately, but eventually, I do.

The feeling is not random. It's something worth paying attention to.

Why We Don't Say Yes

Maybe you're wondering why you haven't moved forward. The thing is, a lot of times people overthink it.

Common thoughts:

• "I'm not qualified."
• "I've never done this before."
• "What will people think?"
• "This is impractical."

Rather than looking for reasons to do it, we often look for reasons not to. My hope for you is that you can listen to this pull, give it time and space, and eventually say yes to it.

I'm saying yes even though I have no theatre background, and it's not what people are expecting from me.

Instead of trusting the call, you start to build that case against it: "I can't do it for all of these reasons."

But the thing is, overthinking is often what stops us from doing the things that would expand us.

At some point, you didn't know how to do the job you're currently doing or the business you're currently running, but you said yes. At one point, you allowed yourself to be the student, to be new at it, to just figure it out.

It's funny how we get older, and we say, ​

• "Oh, I can't do that because of these reasons.”
• “I can't do that because it's not what I do." ​

We put ourselves into a box. The only thing that's needed to know is that you want to do it.

The Uncomfortable Part for High Achievers

We're looking to do things for the three R's:

• Results: What are the results I'm going to get from doing this thing?
• Recognition: What's the recognition I'm going to get?
• ROI: What's the return on investment of time, energy, and money?

If you're not going to get those three R's (or at least two of them), you're going to say, "I don't want to do it."

But this is different:

• Just saying yes and doing something because you want to is enough
• Doing it because you're curious is enough
• Doing it because it feels aligned somehow to you, and maybe you don't know the reasons why, is enough

I want to give you permission to do that.

Why Am I Doing This One-Woman Show?

There was something about doing this one-woman show that kept calling me, so I said yes. It wasn't because it made sense.

It's much easier for me to write a keynote as a professional speaker because I've already done it. I already know what it entails. I have zero knowledge of how to write a play script.

I'm not doing it because it's strategic. In theatre, it's a long game. Shows are booked one to two years out.

I'm not doing this because it's a great financial move. Actually, it's a financial expense. I need to pay for:

• Group writing lessons on how to write a one-person show
• My writing coach to work one-on-one with me
• A director to help me figure out how to act (I've never acted before)
• A stage manager to call the cues to the tech
• The theatre space for all the rehearsals
• The tech crew and on and on

So then why? Why would I do it?

It doesn't seem like there's any rational reason, except that I'm doing it because I want to.

Wanting to do something is enough reason to explore it. Stop blocking yourself!

Other Things I've Said Yes To:

• I decided I would be a coach, and then I got the training to do it.
• I decided I want to give workshops, so I went and did one, and now I give lots of workshops.
• I had a desire to do stand-up comedy. I took the class. I did a couple of shows. I don't feel like continuing that, and that's fine.
• I had the idea back in 2013 to start Dynamic Women®. That blew up. That was just me seeing the need, the desire of "I hate this surface-level networking, and I want to create a better way of networking." That was a 2 AM decision. The next day, I started with one location, and it built to eight different locations every single month.

If I'd said no to those things, if I'd said no to writing my first book, if I'd said no to putting together my first collaborative book and my first summit, what would I have missed out on? Do you see where I'm going here?

A lot of great things have happened because I've had a feeling, a pull, a spark that I was excited about doing something. That energy, when followed, that resonance, can bring amazing results.

What Happens When You Say Yes