by Kristen Golden
Trapped in a hiking cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire while Hurricane Bob unleashed its fury outside, and a restless Boy Scout troop unleashed itself inside (a story for another day), my friends and I played a game. “What would the title of your autobiography be?”
I knew immediately. “How Hard Could It Be?” I said. This is my basic approach to life and to work. If something interests me, I am eager to try it. I am not daunted by lack of experience or resources. I am armed with curiosity, creativity, and will.
When asked to co-write a book, I leapt at the opportunity. I’ve written a few articles. I am an avid reader. I’ve read a LOT of books. How hard could it be to write one?
When, as the original project director of the Ms. Foundation’s Take Our Daughters to Work Day, I learned that our local New York City campaign was going to be a national one instead, I thought, “Cool!” After all, there were three of us working on it and we had a budget of $10,000. How hard could it be? More than one million people across the country took part that first year.
When I was hired as the executive director of a domestic violence prevention program without any previous management experience, again, I thought, how hard could it be? I jumped in with both feet and had the most rewarding job of my career.
In each of these circumstances, my curiosity outweighed the fact that on paper I wasn’t experienced enough to do these jobs. I was excited and enthusiastic and eager to learn. And most importantly, I didn’t stop myself before I started.
Of course, each of these experiences was incredibly hard. I made mistakes, I failed, and I was certainly over my head more than once. But by staying curious and open to learning from everyone around me, I was able to bring my creative vision and unique set of skills to the table. Win-win.
I recently started my own business, and let me tell you how hard that can be! Everything is new and different, and the field of online apparel is bursting at the seams. But with the loving support of my family, and great advice and encouragement from business gurus like Tamara Monosoff (Build a Business that You Love), Natalie MacNeil (She Takes on the World), Melinda Emerson (SmallBiz Lady) and Rachael Cook (Conscious Business Design), I am making progress. And of course, I’m curious to see how it all works out!
What are you curious about? Tell us in the comments below.
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Kristen Golden is the owner of Fortune Cookie Wisdom, an apparel line of t-shirts featuring inspirational fortune cookie messages. After a career in anti-violence work, she created this company to amuse, inspire, and connect people. www.fortune-cookie-wisdom.com
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