This year, I enrolled in another round of basic pottery classes. I took my first set of seven sessions last year but because of lockdowns and laziness, I was unable to go back to the studio. So muscle memory didn’t take and I felt like a complete beginner when I faced the pottery wheel again this year.
Last week, I decided to challenge myself to throw a plate from a lump of clay weighing almost a kilo. (We usually work with clay that’s about 500 grams.) I loudly declared to my classmates, “Go big or go to Tahanan!” (Tahanan is the name of my pottery school. It also means home in Filipino.)
I struggled with that mound of clay. It was too heavy for me and I wasn’t ready for the weight and the size. When I got home, I found my arm bruised from bracing myself against the sides of the wheel and forcing the clay into submission. I was fighting rather than dancing with it.
I realized that there was no need for bigger or for more. It was too much for me and I wasn’t ready.
This reminded me of when I started my business, almost five years ago. Coming from the corporate world and used to hundreds of email messages and huge targets, I felt that I was ready to serve hundreds of clients too.
My clients were barely a trickle.
It was uncomfortable and I leaned into marketing and following up. It was the same way I leaned against the rim of my pottery wheel that day.
Looking back, I realized that I needed to be small, that I needed to focus on becoming better, client by client, building my business one tiny step at a time.
Today, I’m following the breadcrumbs as they are whispered to me by the voice of my intuition. Try this thing. Say yes to this. Say no to that. Make that request—there’s no harm in asking. The path is unclear but by listening, my business is revealing itself—as unique and as authentic as I am.
This choice feels intentional rather than fear-based. I have, in the past, started before I was ready (one of my favorite life coaching maxims) so many times—and achieved glorious results that I’m proud of. But this slow and steady way—of baby steps, tiny details, small gestures—feels right for me right now.
Don’t rush the process. Don’t be impatient in your mastery. Don’t be gigil with your goals. Trust yourself and trust the wisdom of your life’s unfolding—whether it’s in your career, your business goals, creative pursuits, your commitment to your health or romance.
Like clay, we are all still being molded to rise to the level of our dreams. And that may mean staying small, staying humble, being malleable.
In this time when peace isn’t a given and living in the world feels tender and uncertain, may you find comfort in the small things: uninterrupted time with a friend, a comforting embrace, the feel of your pet’s fur underneath your fingers, the knowledge that the sun will rise again tomorrow, the joy of learning something new again.
