Kerry Ann Rockquemore returns to Everyday Courage with her signature zest and enthusiasm for personal and professional growth. When she changed directions in 2017 by leaving her job as a professor and moving into entrepreneurship it was a major transition. Instead of being an expert in her field she was now a complete beginner! One practice she learned from those early years was asking herself, “Where am I stuck and what do I need?”. This habit has remained and become foundational to her continued growth and development, professionally and personally.
Jillian’s initial reaction to that question was to bristle under its implications. No one wants to be stuck! However, the reality is that all of us get stuck. Karry Ann thinks we need to help normalize it. By acknowledging our stuck-ness we can take responsibility, while not making it a bigger issue than it should be. We can also learn to articulate our needs with specificity.
“It is such a radical idea to ask people for what you need.”
Accepting our weaknesses and articulating our needs may stir up some emotional baggage, but successful growth will come more quickly and more sweetly when we invite others into our stories.
Kerry Ann suggests that when we face hurdles that can’t simply be life-hacked or solved with a quick email, we need a “container”. A container is a place designed to allow us to experiment, make mistakes, learn, and change through education, connection, and support.
By embracing our vulnerability and allowing others to help us on the journey, the successes become even sweeter. There will be many who will only see the ending success of our journey, but the most beautiful parts of the story are the ones we walked through with our “pack”.
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