Proclaiming My Playground
Bye Bye Ego, Hello Accountability.
After my last piece, Dancing in the Dark, I received a piece of thought-provoking feedback. (Here’s your formal invitation: please feedback away. Always. Good, bad, brutal: I want it.) He gave me useful analysis to foster my writing, and then he said “I wanted you to tell me, concretely, what sparked color in your real life when you thought you were in the dark.”
The all-too-cliché light turned on. Here I was describing one of my favorite metaphors for life to the world, yet revealing nothing of my own journey. The very journey which forged the image I cherish. Why?
The act of sharing, treating this space as the diary of my life, is not my motivation for these pieces. It’s also the easy excuse. No personal elements = no vulnerability. No vulnerabilty = no judgement. Safe Liza. Well, actually, safe Liza’s ego.
Writing is an excercise in accountability for me. Putting myself out there, letting people “see” me, my thoughts, my beliefs, my work. Accepting the possibility for judgement + criticism. Seeking feedback + growth. Most importantly, it’s a place for me to bring my ideas, hopes, and dreams, “what sparked color” in my life, out in to the light. It’s giving them the gift of reality.
It’s easy to keep them safe in the darkness: shapeless, pure, full of wonderous, untapped potential. Dreams waiting in my holding pattern until they are deemed perfect enough to spring in to reality. Neat, clean, no impact on our insecurities, no judgement from the world, and, most importantly, no failure.
Drawing them out in to the light, showing the world the messy, the building, the ups and downs, the “didn’t quite work out,” is a challenge. A challenge to our ego. But it’s also the beauty. It’s honoring the beautiful mosaic of colors and embracing the draft I described before.
It lays them bare before the world, saying “here I am, here is what I seek to create, and I am committing to this creation no matter the outcome.”
It keeps you dancing. Moving. Lighting up the bioluminescent waters. Playing.
So here I go. Let’s bring these beauties out into the radiant sunshine…
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2021 is the year of the playground for me. So, what’s in my playground?
This year I am creating. I am trying things that I appreciate may fall flat on their face. May only achieve 10% of their grand and lofty dreams. But hell, if they fall I’ll just use them as stairs to get to the next thing.
Even knowing I’m about to say these “out loud” makes me panic, but also buzzing with excitment. Once I press publish, these are real. And I want anyone who reads this to hold me to account. You have an open invitation to ask me how they are going, for a status update, to give me feedback, to call me out (with compassion) if I’m avoiding them, to give me a nudge if I’m back on my island in the dark.
Before I go into the specifics, I want to give name and therefore accountability to my dream for my future: to be a billionaire- defined not by the money I earn, but by the amplitude of my impact on the world.
Okay, now, what am I creating:
// Museion: named after the main center for research + learning at the ancient Library of Alexandria — one of my favorite places in history, which will create spaces, resources + dialogues for intellectual debate and actionable impact on some of the most pressing issues facing humanity. Oh boy am I excited for this one.
// Odysseum: The House of Odysseys (can you tell yet that I’m an ancient history enthusiast?) will help democratize entrepreneurship and diffuse information that is typically only held within entrepreneur networks or experienced entrepreneurs. Bite-sized, direct, expert led. Starting with podcast + videos. (holy moly, does that make me squirm.)
// A new climate impact organization: more to come on this one, but working with amazing partners who inspire me massively. Basically, we’re going to join the quest for the holy grail (aka saving the planet).
// My own brand: it’s about damn time. And it’s not a commercial, glossy “face.” It’s me figuring out what impact I want to have in the world + living by it. Sharing it with the world. And finally going for it. All in. No more hiding in the shadows. — Oh yeah that’s going to be a lot about sustainability, conscious capitalism and saving the world. So here’s your advanced warning, my instagram is about to become my playground for trying out a whole bunch of new fun things. Get excited.
And I’m sure there’s more to come. But this last one is my real shining light…
// Most importantly: my future: (*cue eyerolls and commentary that I’ve spent too much time in Tulum*) nothings going to rain on this parade for me. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m not just wandering, but I’m building. Each day I see myself becoming more and more the person I want to be. I see my path coming together ahead of me. I see the community and the joy building. And I could not be more ecstatic about it.
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So I know I still haven’t answered in any way the question posed to me 😂 (sorry Colin!) I will have to save that for another day. I’m grateful for the space to put my gameplans out in to the world and excited to bring them to life. Any ideas or feedback bring them to me! And if you need a space to share yours, comment here, message me on instagram, go tell a friend, whatever you need (my metaphorical door is always open) — just give yourself the gift of bringing them out into the world.
Oh and in case you need a kick in the pants to just start exploring…👇🏼
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Liza Tullidge is a serial entrepreneur, investor + advisor focused on reengineering business + individuals to build a better planet. Find out more about Liza + her work at www.lizatullidge.com
