193. Stretching Your Capacity and Creating More Opportunities (as a Podcaster, Creator, or Entrepreneur)

When you’re presented with an opportunity and you’re deciding whether you’re cut out for it…

On one hand, it’s helpful to consider “past evidence” to gauge whether you have the necessary experience, knowledge, and overall capability or skills to decide whether this is something you can deliver on. And “past evidence” can look like your formal education or training, experience working with clients, measurable results or achievements you’ve created, and so on and so forth

But on the other hand… What if you don’t have any relevant experience in the opportunity you’re presented with? In such cases, how will you know whether you CAN deliver on what the opportunity is asking of you?

This is what we’ll be looking at in this episode.

This episode is part 2 of a two-part series. On the previous episode, we explored what to consider when deciding whether to say yes to an opportunity, especially if it’s an opportunity that you feel immediately unqualified for. But… What happens after you say yes to the opportunity and now you actually have to deliver on what you promise? This is the premise for part 2 of this series.

Similar to part 1, this episode will also be centered around my recent experience with co-hosting at the Franchising and Licensing Asis 2024 expo. I would recommend listening to part 1 of this series first, before tuning into this one. Now, with all that said, let’s get into the conversation for today.

In This Episode:

Delivering on what you said yes to
Growth is uncomfortable
Stretching your capacity and creating more opportunities

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Any Player

What happens after you say yes to the opportunity and now you actually have to deliver on what you promise?

Prefer to listen to this episode on YouTube?

Delivering on what you said yes to

First, when it comes to delivering on the opportunity I had just said yes to… I was initially overwhelmed with the thought of “I’m not going to do a good job” and worrying about not wanting to make the team look bad because of my own poor performance.

Whenever I wanted to spiral, I had to ground back to two things: 1) What is actually required and expected of me from the team? And 2) what is my own metrics or standards of excellence for this opportunity?

When it came to the former, I had to remind myself time and time again that I had agreed to take up this opportunity BECAUSE I had already talked to the financial coconut team and made sure we were on the same page in terms of expectations. I had said yes to co-hosting at FLAsia because I understood the assignment details, and I was confident that I could deliver on the assignment. So, it was very, very important for me to continuously remember this whenever my anxiety wanted to spin me out.

Now… When it came to my own goals or expectations in relation to FLAsia… All I wanted to do was to do a good job at co-hosting. If I feel like I did a good enough job, that would be a successful event and experience for me.

But what does good enough look like? Well… A satisfactory co-hosting performance – to me – would look like being able to continue the conversation such that there are no lulls, as well as having sufficient industry knowledge such that I can keep the conversation going.

On the other hand… An exceptional co-hosting performance would look like 1) the guest is relaxed and is clearly having a fantastic time chatting with me, 2) I ask questions beyond the ‘basics’, meaning: My questions actually make the guest pause and think 3) I, too, am relaxed and not worrying about how I look or what my next question is. But instead, I am deeply concentrated on the guests and what they’re sharing

So in moments of anxiety and overwhelm, I needed to ask myself to remember 1) What is actually required and expected of me from the team? And 2) what is my own metrics or standards of excellence for this opportunity?

Because although I may not have direct experience in the subject matter aka franchising and licensing… I do have the skillsets to deliver on the task at hand.

And that was immensely encouraging for me to remember because my brain wanted to latch ONLY onto what I was lacking in… instead of ALSO considering the skills that I DO have under my belt.

And this leads to something major I realized, which is this: When you’re pursuing something that feels so out of your comfort zone… Your emotions WILL want to deter you from doing what is needed and required to get the job done or to see progress and improvement in what you’re working on.

And so, that is the very first takeaway I want to highlight in this episode… Which is:

When you are doing something new or putting yourself in an opportunity that is meant to stretch you out of your comfort zone, you WILL experience thoughts or emotions that want to keep you from taking the necessary action that is required in order to grow and/or get the task at hand done. That is completely natural, and if anything, you can expect these thoughts or feelings to come up.

That said… In such scenarios, I found it absolutely critical to shift my focus, time, and energy into not just evidence that is helpful and grounding… But also to actually do what is needed. In my case, as much as my brain wanted to wallow in thoughts that made me feel small and unqualified… Continuing to indulge in these thoughts was simply not helpful, and it will definitely not help me prepare for FLAsia.

Instead, I had to proactively make decisions and take actions that were best for the long term, rather than caving into the thoughts and emotions that might make me temporarily feel better in the short term.

Meaning, rather than caving into thoughts such as “I should just back out now and not pursue this opportunity” … because honestly, backing out felt way more comfortable….

Instead, I had to continuously ground back into not only thoughts that were helpful, but also continuing to take action that, quite frankly, required a lot of discomfort.

Now is NOT the time to run away from your goals or let your self doubts and insecurities dictate whether you grow and step into your next level. Stay committed to your plan of action and to the vision for the person you want to become.

That is lesson number one in this episode. Now… before we look at what lesson two is… One more thought that came up for me is that looking back, I am also thoroughly impressed that I was so dedicated to delivering what I signed up for. Especially since… this opportunity is not necessarily my own.

Meaning: This 3 day livestream series is under The Fianncial Coconut team, and to a certain extent, it is also under the Franchising and Licensing Asia annual expo event… This wasn’t mine… It wasn’t under my brand. I was doing it for someone else’s brand… Yet, I still cared deeply about doing the best I could.

What I realized here was that the reason why I personally cared so much about doing a good job on behalf of the Financial Coconut podcast team was because I really respect what the founder, Reggie, has built, and I really appreciate the relevance and significance of the work that the Financial Coconut does. For me, I see so clearly what the financial coconut’s mission is – and I was more than happy to be part of that mission and to contribute to it in some way.

And that’s when it hit me: THIS. THIS is what I’d love to build as well.

I want to build something where the mission is so clear and so meaningful to not just me, but also to my people, so much so that others want to join me in moving this mission and vision forward, together.

This was a concept that I had always intellectually been aware of… But to see it play out in practice for me personally was just… it was such an empowering experience.

ALRIGHT. Let’s move on to the next few lessons and what actually went down at FLAsia.

Growth is uncomfortable

So, over the first two days of FLAsia, I co-hosted on the following panels:

On day 1, I was part of the kick off welcoming livestream at 10am. At 2pm, my panel was about developing effective strategies for entering and growing in ASEAN markets. At 5pm, my panel was about navigating the US market and how local Singapore brands can overcome challenges when expanding to the US.

On day 2, I co-hosted a panel on digitalization and what it looks like for businesses to implement digital solutions at 1pm. At 2pm, the panel was about email marketing for franchises. And lastly, my panel at 3pm was about effective marketing and branding strategies for franchises.

On day 1, I arrived at the venue early and started chatting with the Financial Coconut team who were worked tirelessly behind the cameras for all 3 days of FLAsia. I was in awe at the beautiful set up they had for their livestreams, and was also super curious about the vendors who had booths at the expo.

And because I was part of the kick off livestream where me and two other co-hosts will riff back and forth and welcome our audience to the 3 day live stream, I thought it might be helpful to walk around the venue to check out what’s happening because I know we will be talking about what our audience can expect from the live streams as well as the event itself.

But you know what? Going up to the booths and striking up conversations with the vendors was NOT comfortable for me at all. In my head, I was telling myself that I had no idea what I’d even say or how I’d introduce myself, since I’m not in the franchising space myself. But somehow… I still managed to walk up to several booths, introduce myself, ask a few questions, and make some quick notes in my notebook in case I want to bring up certain points during the kick off livestream.

And guess what? I’m SO glad that I walked around and chatted with vendors because in the end, I WAS indeed able to weave in some of my observations and conversations into the opening livestream.

Another pivotal moment for me at FLAsia was also on Day 1, where the original panelist that I was supposed to interview had backed out altogether for whatever reason. And so, I went into day 1 not knowing whether I’d have someone to interview for that panel/livestream.

But you know what happened? This girl, for some reason, had the AUDACITY to go around the venue LOOKING for potential guests and experts to interview for her 5pm livestream… I already knew the type of guest we would ideally speak to, which is someone who is an expert in expansion to the US… so, I literally spent my downtime after the first panel to walk around and seek out potential experts to invite to our 5pm livestream.

And let me tell you… although I was extremely determined to find the right guest for the 5pm livestream… Going up to booths to introduce myself, get to know their work to sus them out and sus whether they’re a good fit, and make a potential invitation…. That was NOT comfortable AT ALL.

But I knew… that if I don’t even try … then there’s a high likelihood that the 5pm panel may not happen. Because realistically, although I knew it was technically the financial coconut’s team’s responsibility to source the guests… I also saw how stretched they are behind the scenes, trying to manage all the technical difficulties that were going on in real time.

And for me, I CARED about doing a damn good job with co-hosting at FLAsia… and I knew it wasn’t going to be possible if I had no opportunity to actually do the co-hosting… So ultimately, I did what ultimately scared me and terrified me…. But it paid off, because in the end, we found an incredible expert to join us for the 5pm session and we had an excellent livestream.

Throughout the next two days… As I continued to co-host the livestreams/panels on Day 1 and 2 of FLAsia… after each session, I was quickly able to identify some of the specific areas that I felt I could improve on. And honestly… knowing that I have areas for improvement… Although intellectually, I know it’s good to know what my own gaps are…. But the reality is… being highly aware of these gaps as I am actually carrying out the task in real time was NOT comfortable.

And I think that’s the thing: Knowing that you are NOT a 10/10 star player in something but still having to go back out to the field and play…. Is a very different experience from knowing that you’re a 9 or 10/10 player and going to bat for the team…. The former is a lot more uncomfortable than the latter scenario

For example: I could see that one thing I could improve on was that I needed to be quicker in my follow up questions. What I found happened was that as I was still processing and digesting what the guest just shared, my cohost would already have something they’re curious about and therefore would share their thoughts or follow up questions before I could formulate my next thought.

This was an area for improvement I could identify right off the bat, after my first and second panel. And as a result, I could feel myself feeling a bit insecure during the other panels and live streams because in the back of my mind, I kept thinking “Cheryl, think faster. Say something. Hurry up” – And this chatter in the back of my mind is not exactly helpful when it comes to listening attentively and really processing what the other person shared. Put another way: I was unconsciously putting the focus on myself and trying to NOT make myself look bad, rather than focusing on the guests and bringing out the best in them.

So it’s like a double-edged sword here. Knowing what my gaps are IS going to help me improve over time…. At the same time, it also felt highly uncomfortable to go into the next live stream, and the next one, and the next one, KNOWING that I have clear, defined areas to improve on…. AND still having to go into the live stream and deliver my best work.

So, putting together these different examples and stories… You may be already able to extrapolate what The main takeaway I want to share here is…. Which is:

You will always have areas to improve on. That is inevitable. And these areas will require you to step out of your comfort zone. That’s part of the growth. Which means… That growth, is inevitably uncomfortable.

Now in hindsight…. Another thought that has been coming up as I reflect on FLAsia is that… I think there are many times when people will quit something because honestly… at the beginning stages, things ARE going to feel really hard. And people might think that this just isn’t for them. I understand that more often than not, when we aren’t good at something, that CAN take a toll on how we feel. Depending on the circumstances, it might even really take a toll on your mental health or affect other areas of your life.

But… I do think that it is important to be able to discern whether a situation is indeed not worth it for you to pursue anymore… versus one that IS worth pursuing, but it will require you to stick it out and keep putting in the reps to get better with time and repeated practice.

Because if this IS an opportunity that you feel IS worth pursuing… then what I think is also important to remember and understand is that more often than not, our most defining moments or the times when we see the biggest growth are the times when it feels highly uncomfortable or even hard, especially at the beginning. But through repeated practice and time and committed efforts, we will get better and better compared to where we were before.

And in my opinion, THAT is how growth becomes inevitable.

Stretching your capacity and creating more opportunities

Overall… I am really, really proud of myself. I’m proud of myself for saying yes to this opportunity. I’m proud of myself for delivering a good performance on both days. Yes, there are a number of specific areas I can clearly improve as a podcaster/interviewer/host… But that doesn’t detract from how immensely proud I feel…. I’m also proud of myself for blowing my mind in terms of the growth and capacity I am capable of.

What ultimately surprised me about myself, through this experience, was that… maybe… just maybe … I’ve been thinking of myself as a tiny little fish in a big ocean. Maybe I’ve listened to my self-doubts and insecurities so much to the point where I not only believe these thoughts inside my head… but I also have been “playing small” and taking “small action” because that’s how I’ve been seeing myself.

What this experience broke me free from was the thought that unless I have formal education or training or years of experience in XYZ subject matter, then I wasn’t qualified to even speak to others about this topic. And this is a recurring belief/pattern that creeps up in many many parts of my life.

For example, I thought that unless I got a masters degree in a subject, then I should stay in my lane and only talk about what I do have direct experience with. And how this has manifested in my career/business is that I have been having the thought of “I am limited in what I can do as a business owner because I lack the knowledge or professional experience”. And unless I go get formal tertiary education, I will remain unqualified to speak on this subject. And that’s why I’ve continued to box myself into the confines of coaching side hustlers, solopreneurs, and content creators because I felt like I didn’t have what it takes to branch out into new areas.

Now, that being said, yes, I do have 5+ years of experience in coaching side hustlers, solopreneurs, and content creators. So that’s for sure one reason I continued to do what is already working and what I know I am capable of. BUT, what I was also doing unknowingly was NOT EVEN TRYING to learn and grow out of my comfort zone. I never even asked myself “What are the interests I want to further explore and learn”. I never considered other opportunities or even business models. I also felt too afraid to even have conversations with folks who are not in the online coaching or online content creator space because I was worried about not having sufficient knowledge to continue a conversation.

Now, with hindsight, I can see that wow, I was definitely thinking very lowly of myself. Because this experience with FLAsia showed me that first of all… I have the work ethic and capacity to learn new things. I have a knack for studying and researching information, and deepening my understanding of a topic – and, to do so effectively and efficiently.

Second, I also showed myself that I have the courage and audacity to acknowledge that Im a total noob but not let it stop me from even trying. I still said yes and I still tried. And now, my perception of what I’m capable of will never be the same.

And I hope that you, too, can recognize your own potential to work hard and do the work that’s required of you to deliver on certain opportunities or tasks. And, I hope that you will also see that you CAN have the courage and audacity to recognize what your own gaps and limitations are, but not let that stop you from even trying from doing the work necessary to grow and improve in those areas.

For me… When I first looked at who the other co-hosts were for the livestreams at FLAsia … I felt so unqualified and small compared to them. Most of them seemed much more established than me. They had domain expertise in areas I knew nothing about. They also have much more years of experience under their belt. Not to mention, some of them seemed like excellent and charismatic speakers and conversationalists in general.

Yet… At the same time… Despite these insecurities and self doubts… I still felt… empowered to do an EXCELLENT job at FLAsia. I wanted to be an example of someone who, at one point, also felt too small and not smart or qualified to learn about topics like franchising and licensing and “serious business” topics… But still took the steps to learn and dive head-first into the deep end to expand my breadth and depth of knowledge.

The thing is: I know that there are sooo many people in the audience who are just like me, where they too feel like a total business noob who doesn’t know anything. Because of their own insecurities, they don’t even take the first steps to at least TRY to put themselves in unfamiliar territories. They’re petrified to be a beginner and not know what they’re doing.

That’s why oddly… I felt the drive to really equip myself with the necessary knowledge or tools as much as possible because I genuinely wanted to learn about this subject matter, not just because I didn’t want to screw up at FLAsia, but also because I was becoming increasingly curious about franchising as I studied it.

And this “mindset” starts with first making the decision to commit to what you’re doing and who you’re becoming, followed by taking the action steps necessary to back up what you’ve committed to. In order to stretch your own realm of possibility and become that next level version of you… it starts with committing to doing the work, followed by actually doing the work. And this, is the third and final lesson I want to highlight in this episode.

If you want to stretch in terms of the opportunities you attract or level up in terms of your skillset or mindset… the question comes down to: Are you avoiding the work that is necessary as opposed to doing what is required for your growth?

One painfully honest question that I also think frequently about is asking myself: Am I currently the version of myself that will attract the type of clients or opportunities I’d love to work with?

Another third I like to explore is: Am I thinking big enough and sharing a vision that is so compelling for not just myself, but for others as well – so much so that they want to join me in seeing this vision through?

Because ultimately: In order to create more possibilities, more options, and bigger and better opportunities…. I have to go first and do the work needed to become the version of me that is positioned to welcome these possibilities, options, and opportunities.

Conclusion

With that, that concludes our conversation for today. Before we close out, let’s summarize one more time the key takeaways from today’s conversation:

When you are doing something new or putting yourself in an opportunity that is meant to stretch you out of your comfort zone, you WILL experience thoughts or emotions that want to keep you from taking the necessary action that is required in order to grow and/or get the task at hand done. In these moments, we have to continuously ground back into not only helpful thoughts but also continue to take action that feels out of our comfort zone. Stay committed to your plan of action and to the vision for the person you want to become.

You will always have areas to improve on. That is inevitable. And these areas will require you to step out of your comfort zone. That’s part of the growth. Which means… That growth, it is inevitably uncomfortable.

Lastly: The formula to leveling up is quite straightforward. In order to stretch your own realm of possibility and become that next level version of you… it first starts with committing to doing the work, and second, to actually do the work required of you. in order to create more possibilities, more options, and bigger and better opportunities…. we have to go first and do the work needed to become the version of ourselves that is positioned to welcome these possibilities, options, and opportunities.

Alright. That’s all for us for this episode and for this two part series. So with that, thank you so much as always for listening to the podcast, and I’ll see you all in the next one.

Sounds good? Awesome. Let’s get to work.