I love scary things...
I love feeling scared... to a point.
"Spooktober" is a time for haunting-based TV, scary movies, all the things I don't let myself consume and enjoy the rest of the year. Why...? Because boundaries. And because I know exactly what will happen if I watch my favorite haunting shows all year round...
I'll think my house is haunted! (It's not, I just have a vivid and impressionable imagination)
So if I love being scared (in small, controlled ways) but I don't like how being scared effects my life... what do I do? I have a "scary movie buddy"! Christa also happens to be my best friend since 4th grade and she and I have been the PERFECT scary movie companions for over 2 decades because of one simple fact. She is more scared than I am.
And if she's more scared than I am... then I'm not so scared. In stead, I'm fun. I'm able to poke holes in all of the ridiculous story-telling and overblown cinematography and just general ridiculousness of all the scariness. The same things that would have TOTALLY freaked me out... if there wasn't someone in the room who was more scared than me.
We sit and laugh and I find reasons to make jokes and we eat our body-weight in junk food and it's just amazing. And so satisfying and not scary at all. Or, at least, the exact right amount of scary for me to not carry it with me for months on end because I can't stop thinking there's someone, or something, in my house.
So here's my suggestion (and how I bring it back to branding and business):
Make sure you have a buddy.
Being responsible for running a business is terrifying. And SO MUCH PRESSURE. So have someone in your life who you can commiserate with. Make a joke out of the scary, hard, exhausting stuff. Sitting in a room, on your own, staring down a computer screen and ALL THE DECISIONS is going to drive you crazy and end in burnout. Don't do that. Find a friend who knows what you're feeling. Someone who is also scared and likely staring down their own computer screen and their own too-big-and-too-many-decisions.
I promise you... it'll make all of this WAY more fun!
And for the scary movie stuff, If you're like me, here are some other helpful hints for when you want to watch a scary movie but... not be totally freaked out...
1. Scary things happen in predictable ways. When the movie slows down and you hear creepy music, get ready. It's coming.
2. When you know something scary is about to happen, look at the logo on the TV, or something just below the TV screen. My peripheral vision is the PERFECT solution for getting the adrenaline rush of fear without the lasting, vivid images keeping me up at night.
3. Make it funny. Most scary stories are easy to poke fun at. The outlandish plot points and over-acting are RIPE for lampooning. Find a movie buddy who agrees and you'll be screaming in laughter AND fright. VERY FUN!!
4. Watch during the daytime and/or watch with friends. If I have to watch spooky things alone and at night, I take off my glasses. Fuzzy things are less scary
Find what works for you. Enjoying scary movies, like life and like business, can and should happen on YOUR terms. So do the things you love. Watch what YOU want to watch. Work how YOU want to work. The key to EVERYTHING is boundaries. And you know who sets your boundaries?
YOU!!!!!
