courage, Guest Posts, Manifestation Workshops

What Fear Looks Like.

November 26, 2014

beauty-hunting-jen-logo-black

By Jen Pastiloff.

This was my status update on my Facebook just now but I thought I would share here since some of you crazy (read: smart) kids are not on Facebook:

Let me tell you about stepping out of your comfort zone and fear and being ballsy and what that looks like to me.

A few years back I started doing these workshops which have since morphed into something else entirely. I have no idea what to name this thing. What to call it. It’s not really a “yoga” thing but I do it at yoga studios and we sit on yoga mats.

It’s not really a writing thing because you don’t have to be a writer or even like writing, but we write.

And we share. And we laugh. And we cry.

And it’s heavy but also really really light.

And like, how do you describe that? How do you say, call up a studio in Chicago and say, “Hey, I want to come do this thing I do there at your place. I can’t really describe it. You’ll just have to see for yourself. People will come. Trust me.”

And I mean, there’s a deep knowing that I will sell it out (but there’s also the other part of me that’s like, “OMG, you have never been to Chicago or Vancouver or whatever city it is. Who do you think you are?”)

But.

I do not listen to that voice for very long. I put on my big girl panties and shut that voice up and carry on with my cup of coffee and hush that little voice that says, “How dare you create something that is not definable and expect people will show up?”

Why do I hush that voice?

Because I did do that. I am doing that.

Is it scary as f*ck? Yes.

I do this ALL BY MYSELF. I have no team of agents or managers or bookers. Just some balls. (Well, not really. Betty White says a vagina is tougher than balls, but whatever.) I pull my bootstraps up and carry on.

betty-white-grow-some-balls-vagina-pounding

 

My word right now is TRUST.

I do not fit into any mold or any “yoga” box or literary box or self-help (it ain’t that, nor is it ‘woo-woo’ or airy-fairy) so I simply have to trust that I am on the right path. That people will keep coming. That I will keep posting the essays that move me on this site,  The Manifest-Station, that I built from the ground up, and that people will keep reading them.

A couple weeks ago at my Miami workshop, people drove from all over the state and country. I had a moment where I thought, “This is what trust looks like.”

It’s like that line from the movie Field of Dreams. Maybe that is what I am saying in my long-winded Jen Pastiloff way, “If you build it, they will come.”

They will. they do.

Nonetheless, it’s so nerve-wracking and scary and exciting and all of that, each time I book a workshop. It’s terrifying and exhilarating to stand up there and be totally vulnerable and naked and well, human.
That is why it’s called The Manifestation Workshop: On Being Human.

I know some of you are new to this page as it’s grown quite a lot in the last few weeks and are probably all, “Who the eff is this Jen?” I’m just a human being (as wayne Dyer says, “I am a human being, not a human doing.”) I’m just a human being who is trying to make her way in the world. I bump into a lot of things, I drop a lot, I mess up, I curse. Sometimes I am an asshole (thus, I created the “Don’t be an asshole” series) but every day I am trying to be a better human.

Don't be an asshole & shut down just because sometimes tries to shut you down.

I am trying to listen more, to be more open, to be less afraid. That is what my workshop is about. And I intend to take it all over the world.

I am taking it all over the world.

Is it scary? Yes.

Do I need to trust? Yes.

Do you need to trust more? I have no idea.

Do you? Only you can answer that. I am not going to sit here with my coffee and make blanket statements about you. You need this. You need that. I have no idea. Only you do.

I just know that no matter how freaked out I get that I am going to another country or another city to do my wacky indescribable workshop, I will go anyway. I will lead it as best as I can, with as open of a heart as I can, with my deaf ass ears as open as they can be, with my sense of humor intact. And I will do my best to show you what it looks like to do something even when you are shitting bricks of fear. I love you guys.

Here’s to forging into the unknown with grace.

xo Jennifer Pastiloff

ps I will see you in London feb 14. Oh yes, I booked it. Take that, Fear! There’s beauty in being afraid, ya know? What does it look like? It looks like doing it anyway. Book London here https://www.lumipoweryoga.com/workshops.

Jen Pastiloff is back in London for ONE workshop only Feb 14th. Book by clicking poster. This is her most popular workshop and space is limited to 50 people.

Jen Pastiloff is back in London for ONE workshop only Feb 14th. Book by clicking poster. This is her most popular workshop and space is limited to 50 people.

Jen Pastiloff is the founder of The Manifest-Station. Join her in Tuscany for her annual Manifestation Retreat. Click the Tuscan hills above.

Jen Pastiloff is the founder of The Manifest-Station. Join her in Tuscany for her annual Manifestation Retreat. Click the Tuscan hills above.

 

You Might Also Like

5 Comments

  • Reply Bishanyia November 27, 2014 at 4:33 am

    Heyyyyyy wanna come to Australia!? We’d LOVVVVE TO HAVE YOU!! Xxx

  • Reply Jo Ellen Corcoran November 27, 2014 at 6:58 am

    On Being Human is so powerful.. And you teach it through your love of humans. Your compassion for all the daily challenges. Choosing a tribe that offers support and joy.. I have deep gratitude for you and everything you share..

  • Reply Amelia Jones December 9, 2014 at 4:44 am

    Fear can keep people from growing and exploring more but by learning how to trust, you can go a step further even when fear sets in. Thanks for sharing a very inspiring post. You left some valuable thoughts for me to ponder on. 🙂

  • Reply Renee Greiner December 27, 2014 at 11:36 am

    I’m glad you keep posting on the blog too; I’m not on Facebook. Thank you.

  • Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.