In the past month, I have been unveiling the idea of “Living Chapters” to those outside of the participating players list and I have to admit not without a bit of anxiety along with a great sense of excitement. The process of telling people about the decision to do this made it all the more “real”. Talking about the project as if it were a new “life change” itself, a new job, house or relationship.  I told my mother, I told my professional colleagues, I told a stranger at a conference I attended.  Each time, getting a bit more comfortable, trying out this new role of blending my personal and professional life.  No use compartmentalizing the pieces of my life now, or holding back.  Everything is about to become transparent.

As the point of living chapters, is to push boundaries and test comfort levels, I specifically asked the writers to find the sore spots, throw me into uncharted territory, and pin-point my weaknesses (or if I want to be nicer to myself) areas with room for improvement.  Really now, what is a more uncomfortable than highlighting these aspects of yourself, not only to your friends and colleagues, but also to a potential audience of online followers? So here we go, the holiday weekend is over and I have a few days left to give myself some advice before it all begins. Below are the directives that I give myself for the process. If I stray along the way, please don’t hesitate to remind me of them.

Step one: Let go of control

Step two: Trust in my instincts

Step three: In case of emergency, be creative

What do you think? Did I miss a step… I’m in a good place to take suggestions for the next year.