Circus sports, like yoga and so many other activities that ask us to push the edge of our comfort zone, offer wisdom that applies well beyond the circus tent.
For years, I would absorb these lessons and think
This would be a great blog post.
And then things would get in the way.
In the summer of 2016 I decided it was time to stop allowing things to get in the way. Taking my work from writing to published was still an elusive and inconsistent feat, so I explored another method: livestream.
Immediately after trampoline practice I opened my phone and did a Periscope broadcast to share my insights from that day’s practice.
By the second week I had named it The Trampoline Show. A year later it evolved to My Circus Life and I started to incorporate lessons from flying trapeze too.
In that span of time I took it from Periscope to Instagram Live to Facebook Live. Eventually I started turning the weekly topic into my Saturday blog post. Some episodes even gave me enough for a blog series. (A topic that can be split into a series is a big gift when you commit to publish daily.)
A few weeks ago I broadcast episode 100 of My Circus Life. I’m really proud of the breadth and depth of topics I have covered in this run.
And I love hearing from viewers and readers who tell me that they got something useful out of watching the broadcasts or the replays.
That’s been the idea behind everything I do: to share the wisdom I’m learning, in real time, in a way that makes a difference.
I especially love hearing from people who tell me that they took notes. To me, that’s the highest compliment. I seek to share ideas that you want to write down and soak in. I want to make a difference in your life, to help you see your life from a new perspective.
I’m also really proud that I haven’t yet repeated any content. Even when I have covered the same general topic, I’ve found new angles. And what amazes me is that I have lists of topics I haven’t yet covered.
After broadcasting Episode 100, I decided to stop doing my weekly show — at least for now.
For most of the 2-year run, I did this in obscurity. I don’t promote my work that much. I don’t have the episodes up on my blog or on YouTube. In the past year I’ve gained more visibility with it. So it seems, on the surface, like an odd time to quit it.
In fact, it’s the perfect time.
3 Reasons Why I Quit My Circus Life — For Now
(1) The Current Form Served It’s Purpose
The current form of the live stream has served its original outcomes, and started to outgrow them. The setting of trampoline practice has become less conducive to the quality of broadcast I’d like to offer. This often led me to push it to later in the day. But removing a ritual from its anchor dissipates the energy.
Over the past year, the broadcast had increasingly crept into my time for rest and relaxation. It feels like time to reenvision the form I want this content to take.
Coincides With Other Life Transitions
I’m currently at a major inflection point in my life, and I’m in a phase of several completions. I broadcast episode 100 the day after I sold my home. I just completed a year-long coach training certification program. And I am embarking on shifts in my business.
It’s a natural stopping point; a time to empty whatever I can to create space for what seeks to emerge.
Seasonal Time for Change
As it happens, my personal season of transition is aligned with the energy of the natural season for transition.
The fall season is a time for both letting go and reaping the harvest. This is the time of year to pause and examine the landscape, to see what we need to shed to clear space, and what is ripe for harvesting.
By letting go of doing new episodes I can reap the harvest of what I’ve created over the past two years. I also create space to reap the harvest from other projects that have been growing slowly in my field.
Nothing is Permanent
Nothing in this world is permanent, and that includes quitting. My Circus Life will return in some form.
But for that form to emerge I must release the current form of it. Only in the emptiness can we create the new ideas.
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