five steps to start something new

I once had a client who told me a secret she hadn’t told her husband. She would invest her time with this secret every night and slam her laptop shut if he came near.

It’s not what you think.

She had started a blog about her minimal lifestyle, which was becoming something more. She realized she was more interested in this blog than her job; she felt like it could be her career.

Some people knew about her blog, but she downplayed what that “hobby” was becoming for her.

She hired me because she wanted to upgrade the website of her secret blog to be more professional, and she wanted to talk about adding a service!

For the past 7 years, I’ve been honored to support people developing their “I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud to someone else” ideas.

I started this newsletter for those people. Maybe your “something” is a business or a community-centered project that will never make money. Maybe you want to write a book. Maybe it’s just an idea living in your head. Whatever your “something” is, I’m here for it!

Five steps to start something new (in no particular order)

1. If starting this thing is important, it WILL feel vulnerable. You have to learn to push through that discomfort.

2. Not everyone in your life will understand or support what you are doing. Learn to be okay with that.

3. You must make room for this new thing even when you’re not sure what it will become. Build new habits to help you consistently show up to do your thing.

4. There’s likely a lot you don’t know right now. That’s ok! Identify which skills you need to learn to bring your thing to life first.

5. Being a creative, entrepreneur or dreamer can be lonely. It doesn’t have to be! Find the support you need to keep you going. (community support? financial support? mental health support?)

In this weeklyISH newsletter, I hope to provide you with the right balance of practical tips, good stories, and a (nice) kick in the pants to get out there and do your thing.

I’ll also share bits about my life because I’m a human and not a content robot. (though I hear those are readily available if you’re looking for one!)

If you opened this email thinking about who TF Pame Barba is, that’s my bad!

My name is Pame Barba (she/her/ella) (pronounced pah-meh)
I am a first-generation immigrant and fourth-generation entrepreneur who believes it’s up to us to build the future we want to live in. I am an organizational coach and consultant. I work full-time and run my little biz on nights and weekends. I cry at parades. (yes, all parades) And I’m grateful you’re here!

This summer, I picked literally the worst time to launch this newsletter! I’ve been in a BIG transition stage of life. More on my reasons excuses below.

Anyway, thanks for being here. Many of you are my friends or people who have followed me/my work for many years. Your support means more than you know!

I’ll leave you with this little doodle I drew a few years ago while taking a Kawaii drawing class on skillshare.

Till next time,

❤️ Pame Barba