Giving Birth To A New Creation (A Book, A Business Idea Or a Baby!)

One of the biggest challenges of writing a book or launching a new business idea is all of the dreaming, planning and LABOUR required to get it out of your head  (womb) and into the world.

If you take your thoughts seriously when you’re in this vulnerable state, it becomes almost impossible to do what it takes. The actual steps to get your book or business out there are not that complicated.

It’s all of the self-doubt and negative thinking in-between that STOPS us! We put such meaning on to it that it feels painful.

This is why so many people have wonderful ideas but never translate them into action. It’s not because they lack skills or motivation. It’s because they don’t keep taking the baby steps that are required to launch anything new. 

If you don’t take the steps, you NEVER reach the creation process and never know whether the idea is a winner! There are no guarantees except for when you don’t launch your idea. Then it’s certain to not be a winner.

It reminds me of childbirth. I vividly remember the agony of being in labour with my first baby, Amy. I’m not ashamed to say I begged for an epidural. I’d never felt such pain in my life! Up until that point I’d thought period pains and wisdom teeth were the height of agony, but no … it was infinitely worse.

If I thought it would help I’d have shouted, “No … I’ve changed my mind, please stop … I’ll continue this another day please!”

I endured hours of contractions before the epidural kicked in and I remember thinking, “I’m never doing this again. I must have been crazy to think this was a good idea!”

Two years later at 3am in a maternity hospital in a leafy suburb of Jerusalem I was gripped by agonising contractions once again! Ella was on her way and she was moving so quickly there would be no epidural this time. (She moves this quickly in real life too!)

I stood in the shower thinking, “What the hell am I doing?  I knew this would be horrendous. Why did I do this again? What a fool.”

And then beautiful, tiny Ella arrived. I held her in my arms and instantly couldn’t imagine life without her. Within a few moments my perspective had shifted. Everything was perfect and just as it should be.

I’d endured childbirth and had everything to look forward to with my two beautiful daughters.

I’m not writing this to put you off childbirth although I’ll understand if you think twice after reading this!

The point is we often experience pain before joy.

It doesn’t mean that writing your book or launching your new business must be painful. Sometimes it all flows with ease and you wonder why you didn’t do it earlier.

But mostly there are challenges in giving birth to new creations. We can’t see new possibilities when we resist change and insist on keeping things as they are. When the baby wants to arrive it will, whether you are ready or not!

We can load meaning on to our experience and talk about writer’s block and being overwhelmed, or we can take the next step towards bringing our creation into the world.

Whether it’s a book, a business idea or a new baby I wish you a smooth birthing process!

Love

Rachel