Karen Main

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Courageously Stepping into the Arena

May 9, 2013 By Karen Main 18 Comments

Wow the day has arrived, yes my first ever blog post.

I want to begin by sharing with you an amazing quote which I first read at the beginning of Brene Brown’s book Daring Greatly.   

The phrase Daring Greatly is from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech,Citizenship in a Republic. This is the passage that made the speech famous:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again,

because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly . . .”

Since reading this book I decided  to be more courageous, to challenge myself to use that 20 seconds of  amazing courage that visits me.  To let myself be vulnerable.

 

Today I, Karen Main, boldly and proudly am stepping into the arena.

 

So how did I get here, to be the proud owner and author of a blog?

This has been an idea that began growing deep inside me years ago.  I have made notes about it, dreamed about it, chatted to friends about it.  Then I decided to do something about it.

I grabbed that seed of an idea and I planted it, deep into my being.  I loved it and nurtured it until it grew too big to hold onto.

It was time to either let go of this incredible idea or to grow it outside of me for all the world to see.

The decision was tough and yet once made felt so right.  I felt invigorated, rejuvenated, scared, nervous and courageous.

I was planning to join an enormous community that I have admired for so long.

I was planning to put myself out there, in the arena and it felt amazing.

I kissed my little seed and brought it out into the light.

It was time for it to grow more.

I found us some nourishment and I signed up for an ecourse  by one of my favourite bloggers Liv Lane .

I chose a spot to plant it, a home, a website,  and worked with the amazingly patient  Michele Bergh  to build its foundation.

Then I added my own rich soil as I prepared to plant it here on my website

We needed some sunshine  and my logo was made with thanks to the incredible work by Greta at Colour and Spice

 

I hold now in my hand something that is fragile and yet can stand strong.

My own dandelion.

dandelion, flower

Dandelion standing strong

 

Ready and waiting for me to lean in and softly and sweetly blow the seeds of my messages to ride the wind currents.

I invite you to open up your window by subscribing or visiting here often and to lean out and catch the seeds as they drift past.

This will be my place where I endeavour to shine a light on my everyday moments and capture the breathtaking in the familiar.  

Signature large photo Signaturelarge_zps82b3ad36.png

Filed Under: Growth and Learning, Outside your Comfort Zone Tagged With: courage, Growth

Comments

  1. Tressie says

    May 9, 2013 at 8:37 pm

    Karen, CONGRATS on the beginning of your blog journey! You have a beautiful start, love it. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Lanie says

    May 10, 2013 at 12:08 am

    So looking forward to watching your seed grow! Congratulations! Can’t wait to read more…

    Reply
  3. Courtney says

    May 10, 2013 at 12:41 am

    Congratulations on taking the leap! Can’t wait to follow your journey!

    Reply
  4. Mo says

    May 10, 2013 at 1:36 am

    Karen, I love the dandelion image and analogy. Your site is lovely and simply elegant. I’m looking forward to “catching the seeds”!

    Reply
  5. Kelly McKenzie says

    May 10, 2013 at 3:05 am

    Yeah! Such a great first post. Love the dandelion pic and the BB quote. Am reading Daring Greatly right now!

    Reply
  6. Alice Risemberg ~ Reiki Pulse says

    May 10, 2013 at 5:06 am

    Karen, hurrah, you did it! In the arena, indeed. And with such class and elegant style right out of the gate. I love your logo and am checking out the person who did it now. Thanks for linking to that!

    Here’s to beautiful beginnings and many happy blogging days to come.

    Alice

    Reply
  7. Sarah {Left Brain Buddha} says

    May 10, 2013 at 8:46 am

    Omigosh, you had this Social Studies teacher at “Theodore Roosevelt” and “Citizenship in a Republic”!! 🙂 So eager to see what else you create ~ congrats on your first post!
    ~Sarah

    Reply
  8. Laura Fries says

    May 10, 2013 at 10:41 am

    Karen,
    Look at all you have accomplished! The website is beautiful. Your dandelion imagery in your first blog is magical! You are off to a great start.

    Reply
  9. Stacy says

    May 10, 2013 at 11:17 am

    a) I love your blog design.
    b) I love your “voice.”
    c) I love your analogy.

    Can’t wait to love more! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Micaela says

    May 10, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    The dandalion metaphor is brilliant Karen! Yay to you for publishing your first post! I look forward to reading more that you find in your breathtaking life!

    Reply
  11. Diana says

    May 11, 2013 at 2:26 am

    Wow, your blog is off to a beautiful start! I love your tag line and look forward to reading your future posts.

    Reply
  12. Tara says

    May 12, 2013 at 5:57 am

    A brave step forward…CONGRATULATIONS!! Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  13. Susan Michael Barrett says

    May 19, 2013 at 9:19 am

    Karen, you sure know how to grab a heart! I’ve taken Brene Brown’s ecourse and LOVE Daring Greatly, so I feel like we’re kindred spirits. What a way to begin! This is how to kick off a blog. I LOVE the dandelion ready-for-seed-wish-dispersement. That image is a perfect metaphor.

    Reply
    • Karen Main says

      May 19, 2013 at 9:59 am

      Susan,
      Thank you for visiting me here and all your kind words. Brene Brown’s Ecourse wow. Putting that on my list.

      Reply
  14. Maury Hill says

    June 9, 2013 at 5:01 am

    Karen, I just found this (you see I am very behind in our BBTL class). This is so outstanding. I hope my blog launch will be as classy and inspiring as yours. Daring to allow your seed to fly allows me to reach out and spread some of my own. I’ll be checking out your other posts!

    Reply
    • Karen Main says

      June 10, 2013 at 11:38 am

      Maury I am so glad you found me. Thank you for your kind words, I look forward to sharing our blog courage together.
      Karen

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Handwritten Note - Karen Main says:
    May 21, 2013 at 10:27 pm

    […] beautiful words of encouragement and it had arrived on the actual day I was preparing to publish my first ever blog post.    Now although my blog topic was cloaked in secrecy Deb instinctively knew exactly what I would […]

    Reply
  2. July Photoaday - Day 17 Inspirational - Karen Main says:
    July 17, 2013 at 9:54 pm

    […] a profound impact on my decisions over the past 12 months. Read more about my journey into courage here.  Brene discusses how the courage to be vulnerable transforms our lives.  I can tell you she is […]

    Reply

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Karen Main is a Life Leadership Coach for people who are ready to make a change in their lives.
Through her coaching, workshops and speaking gigs she’s here to help you design a life you love — while making it all feel like a celebration.
And when she’s not working, you can find her indulging in a long walk with the dog, laughing with her kids or at her favourite yoga class Read More…

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