Blame it on the Boogie…

"Disco Party TONIGHT!!  Throw on your best 70s outfit and boogie on down to 408 Uintah St. to shake your booty. Free beer!!"

The bright yellow flyers were taped up in dorms all around campus. People were excited; at our college, theme-parties were a thing. 

(The previous month's Superhero party had been a hit, so we were ready for our next chance to dress up again).

My buddy Chad lived in the same dorm, so decided to walk to the party together. I laughed when I saw his shiny polyester paisley shirt with the spread-collar; he complemented my ill-fitting bell bottoms. 

We strutted down Uintah Street à la John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. 

When we walked by the house where some of our friends lived, we were disappointed to see them sitting on their front steps in their Pearl Jam & Nirvana t-shirts (it was the 90s). 

“You're not coming to the Disco Party?! Come on! It's going to be fun!"

There was no budging them. They just smiled and said “We're gonna hang out here. You two have fun.” 

Whatever… if those losers wanted to miss out on a groovy time, that was their problem. Chad & I kept strutting, as other students started to show up in even goofier outfits. 

“I think we missed the house. We need to turn around.” 

“Did we miss it again? We're back on the 300 block.” 

Did I mention it was the 90s? No GPS. No cell phones. Just a bunch of college students meandering back & forth, trying to find the soirée. 

“Why aren't y'all at the disco party?” called out one of our friends as we passed their house yet again.

“We'll find it! You sure you don't want to come?”

We kept searching. Other students were wandering around too. 

We heard no Kool & The Gang music, we heard no Bee Gees. Just …crickets. 

I'm still embarrassed at how long it took us to realize that there was no party. There wasn't even a 408 Uintah; the address didn't exist. 

As we slinked back down the street with our tails between our (polyester-clad) legs, our friends called out “Early night?” We just shrugged our shoulders and returned to the dorm.

Sunday, when I was complaining to one of those same friends that “We should've just hung out with y'all on your steps; there was no party," she said, 

“Well, yeah! We made those flyers. We thought it would be a fun prank to watch people wander around in 70s clothes. It was hilarious.”

Oh, the betrayal…

The only thing that shocked me more than the audacity of the prank was the fact that Chad & I weren't invited into it. 

We were just bell-bottom-wearing pawns in our friends' little game.

In hindsight, I get why they didn't tell us, though: 

Chad & I would've ruined the joke. We weren't wired to watch people spin their wheels for entertainment. (I don't think it's a coincidence that he & I both grew up to be coaches).

But I think the incident points to a bigger lesson, one that directly relates to running a business:

-We assumed the party was real for much longer than we should have, because we trusted “the plan” that was confidently presented. 

-We gave plenty of effort & enthusiasm, but we were channeling it into the wrong direction. 

-Success kept feeling like it was just five minutes away, until we'd lost most of the night.  (Then again, the anticipation & strutting in disco clothes with Chad was it's own fun. I'll write more about him & his work soon…). 

-There was no one there to say, “Hey, there's nothing here." We didn't have the right information.

That's what building a business alone can feel like. 

All the enthusiasm, effort, (and sparkly clothes) in the world don't guarantee success. 

It helps to have some outside perspective. And it's more fun if you're with others (especially those who are “weird” in the same ways you are).

Don't let the wandering steal your boogie. There's a party waiting for you; you just may need some guidance to get on the right track. 

(And you're still having more fun than the people just passively "sitting on the steps", right?).

You've got this,

-Jane 

p.s. Want to find out how 1-1 Coaching can help you find your boogie? Individual coaching is tailored to YOU and your business, and can help you reach your goals in a way that's aligned with who you want to be in the world. Schedule a Clarity Call today to learn more.