Why I Said Yes to a One-Woman Show and Why You Don’t Need Permission to Do Something That’s Calling You

If you've ever felt that pull toward something that doesn't make sense on paper, then you’ll want to read on as I share why I said yes to a one-woman show and why you don't need permission to do whatever is calling you.

What Is This One-Woman Show?

I have decided to write, produce, and star in a one-woman show. I'll let someone else direct me and serve as the stage manager, and I'll handle the other pieces. I have zero theatre background, and I'm doing it anyway.

Maybe there are things in your life that are calling you, kind of intriguing you, pulling you forward, or getting you excited about something.

The Problem: Most People Ignore It

They don't listen to the calling or the spark, however you label it. They push it down. But there's a feeling that just keeps coming up. You think about it randomly, and it doesn't go away. Sometimes, eventually, someone else does it, and then you see them, and you're so mad that they're doing it.

What is this something that could be pulling you forward?

• A creative idea
  
• A new direction for your business or your career, or maybe even your hobbies
  
• Trying something completely out of your lane
  
• Something that doesn't always have to make sense
  
• Something that doesn't always have to fit your identity
  

For me, doing this one-woman show is what keeps calling me. 

Over the past few years, I've been really interested in glass blowing. While I haven't gotten out to do it yet (I've paid for a session, I haven't done it), I have watched the Netflix Series Blown Away, been to the Chihuly Glass and Garden Gallery in Seattle, and the opening of their glass-blowing festival. There are other areas where I get this spark, this urge, this pull, and I say yes to it. Not always immediately, but eventually, I do.

The feeling is not random. It's something worth paying attention to.

Why We Don't Say Yes

Maybe you're wondering why you haven't moved forward. The thing is, a lot of times people overthink it.

Common thoughts:

• "I'm not qualified."
  
• "I've never done this before."
  
• "What will people think?" 
  
• "This is impractical."
  

Rather than looking for reasons to do it, we often look for reasons not to. My hope for you is that you can listen to this pull, give it time and space, and eventually say yes to it.

I'm saying yes even though I have no theatre background, and it's not what people are expecting from me.

Instead of trusting the call, you start to build that case against it: "I can't do it for all of these reasons."

But the thing is, overthinking is often what stops us from doing the things that would expand us.

At some point, you didn't know how to do the job you're currently doing or the business you're currently running, but you said yes. At one point, you allowed yourself to be the student, to be new at it, to just figure it out.

It's funny how we get older, and we say, ​

• "Oh, I can't do that because of these reasons.” 
  
• “I can't do that because it's not what I do." ​
  

We put ourselves into a box. The only thing that's needed to know is that you want to do it.

The Uncomfortable Part for High Achievers

We're looking to do things for the three R's:

• Results: What are the results I'm going to get from doing this thing?
  
• Recognition: What's the recognition I'm going to get?
  
• ROI: What's the return on investment of time, energy, and money?
  

If you're not going to get those three R's (or at least two of them), you're going to say, "I don't want to do it."

But this is different:

• Just saying yes and doing something because you want to is enough
  
• Doing it because you're curious is enough
  
• Doing it because it feels aligned somehow to you, and maybe you don't know the reasons why, is enough
  

I want to give you permission to do that.

Why Am I Doing This One-Woman Show?

There was something about doing this one-woman show that kept calling me, so I said yes. It wasn't because it made sense.

It's much easier for me to write a keynote as a professional speaker because I've already done it. I already know what it entails. I have zero knowledge of how to write a play script.

I'm not doing it because it's strategic. In theatre, it's a long game. Shows are booked one to two years out.

I'm not doing this because it's a great financial move. Actually, it's a financial expense. I need to pay for:

• Group writing lessons on how to write a one-person show
  
• My writing coach to work one-on-one with me
  
• A director to help me figure out how to act (I've never acted before)
  
• A stage manager to call the cues to the tech
  
• The theatre space for all the rehearsals
  
• The tech crew and on and on
  

So then why? Why would I do it?

It doesn't seem like there's any rational reason, except that I'm doing it because I want to.

Wanting to do something is enough reason to explore it. Stop blocking yourself!

Other Things I've Said Yes To:

• I decided I would be a coach, and then I got the training to do it.
• I decided I want to give workshops, so I went and did one, and now I give lots of workshops.
• I had a desire to do stand-up comedy. I took the class. I did a couple of shows. I don't feel like continuing that, and that's fine.
• I had the idea back in 2013 to start Dynamic Women®. That blew up. That was just me seeing the need, the desire of "I hate this surface-level networking, and I want to create a better way of networking." That was a 2 AM decision. The next day, I started with one location, and it built to eight different locations every single month.

If I'd said no to those things, if I'd said no to writing my first book, if I'd said no to putting together my first collaborative book and my first summit, what would I have missed out on? Do you see where I'm going here?

A lot of great things have happened because I've had a feeling, a pull, a spark that I was excited about doing something. That energy, when followed, that resonance, can bring amazing results.

What Happens When You Say Yes

1. You Expand Who You Are

There were many times when I was able to grow and learn more. Because I had to figure things out, I gained many more skills and talents. You're going to start to see new parts of yourself, and others will as well.

Some people said to me, "Wow, I didn't know you were funny." Right? Because a lot of the content I put out there is very practical, or my stories, or it's vulnerable, or it's very level-headed. So you don't get to see that funny side. But that came out of my stand-up, and that's going to come out more in my one-woman show.

2. You Build Confidence in a Different Way

Even though you don't feel super confident about these new things, you're going to be able to pull in some talents and skills you already have, and build your confidence in a different way.

I've already been on stage. I've already spoken to an audience. I've already put on shows, keynotes, workshops, and events. I've already filled the room in my own way. But theatre is very different, and so this is me stretching and growing in a different way.

3. You Learn Things You Never Would Have Learned Otherwise

You get to learn new things that you wouldn’t have had the chance to know. For example, I had to Google what a stage manager does. I'm getting paired up with a dramaturge. I didn't even know what that person did, so I had to Google it. I'm doing a lot of searching for answers, and it's quite interesting. I'm in the growth stage of it.

4. You Become Someone You Wouldn't Have Become

You’ll meet more people because of this. More doors and opportunities will open for you. Not to say that you need to go write your own show, but by saying yes to your own opportunity or the thing that's calling you, that would be enough to open new doors.

5. You Model for Others

• Courage: To just go for it.
  
• Permission: For them to go for something they're thinking of or wanting to do.
  
• Possibility: We don't need to be trapped in the box of the titles, careers, or businesses we currently run.
  

All of this comes simply from saying yes to something that calls you forward.

You Don't Need to Know Where It All Leads

I started Dynamic Women® as a single event and planned to have one group. People kept coming and saying, "I want you to start another group in my city. Can I give you a location?"

Even though you want to be clear about the outcome when you start, you don't need to know the outcome to get started.

Instead, we ask:

• Will this work?
  
• Will this pay off?
  
• Will this go somewhere?
  
• What do I need help with?
  
• What are all the steps?
  

We get into the weeds, put obstacles in our path, and block ourselves. But the doors, the opportunities, and the different things start to show themselves as you say yes and get going.

Not everything you do needs to become a business, a product, a success story. You just need to try it. It doesn't have to be a strategic move. It doesn't need to be a long-term commitment. Just go for it!

I've been very lucky that my desire for different things brought success. Dynamic Women® was probably a decade of success. From doing stand-up, I didn't become a paid comic. The most I got paid for a show was $22 (basically my gas money to get there). While I'm not going to be a comic, I love bringing humour into my keynotes and humour into my workshops. 

But sometimes it's just about the expression of it. I still had tons of fun. It's the growth piece. It's an exploration of what else is possible.

You're allowed to start something and to follow something without even knowing what the outcome would be.

What's Calling You?

• What's something that keeps pulling your attention right now?
  
• What have you been thinking about that maybe you've been pushing away?
  
• What have you told yourself you're not allowed to do or that doesn't make sense?
  

I encourage you to stop overthinking it. Just take one small step towards it. One small step doesn't have to be major. For me, with stand-up, yes, my first step was to sign up for a class. But it could just be watching a stand-up comedy show. That might be the first small step.

What would saying yes, in your case, be? What would that first small step be?

If something keeps calling you, just saying yes is way more powerful than overthinking it.

You Don't Need Permission

• You don't even need to be qualified
  
• You don't need to justify it
  
• You don't need to give all the reasons
  

People ask me, "Why are you doing this one-woman show?" I don't know, because I want to. "What was the main reason for it?" I don't know. I just felt a desire.

You don't need a reason that makes sense for everyone else. You just need enough to say yes for you.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is to just say yes to something that keeps calling you. Saying yes is enough to get started.

Don't Let It Sit There

I'm really curious about what you feel is calling you. I don't want it to sit there.

I've talked with someone whose wife is a nurse, and she said she had the privilege of sitting with many people in their final days, and they would talk about all the cool things they wanted to do but never did. I would hate for that to be the case with you.

If you're thinking, "Wow, I do have something, Diane. I do have a great idea. I do have something that's been calling me, and I want more support to make this happen," then reach out: [email protected]. I'd be happy to coach you through that.

P.S. I have an upcoming event called The Wealth Shift. It’s for high-achieving women who are ready to stop working harder for every dollar and start building a sustainable, supported income. There are several upcoming dates this April for in-person and online. Save your spot here. ​

Until next time, say yes and stay dynamic!