As I was putting dinner together (pork chops, sweet potatoes, and peas in case you have a burning desire to know what was on the menu), I thought about the word “marinating”. I know what it means, but I wanted to see how Webster weighed in on the matter. So to marinate according to Webster means “to steep in a marinade”….hmm, ok, but let’s dig a bit deeper. I looked up the word marinade: “a savory, usually, acidic sauce in which fish, meat or a vegetable is soaked to enrich its flavor or to tenderize it.” Hmmmm….could apply to people as well couldn’t it?
I’ve been “marinating” in some stuff myself lately. I think it’s good to marinate sometimes. In a world where everyone is yelling for us to take action, sometimes you need to marinate in your savory sauce for a bit…really soak it in, so to speak;-)
The problem comes when we start languishing in the marinade…and get cooked before we can get cooking!
That acid (doubt, limiting beliefs) in the sauce can work to our disadvantage rather than enhancing or enriching us. I love that part of the definition, “soaked to enrich its flavor”…how awesome is that phrase…especially since it is so fitting to what most of us go through in our own life.
So the key is to get yourself out of the marinade at the right time…ah and therein lies one of the keys to your recipe…how do you know when that right time is?
Here are some tips for knowing when you’ve soaked in the marinade long enough:
- Listen to your intuition. Really. That’s part of the whole marinating process you know…listening to that little inner voice that says “go now; this is good and right”. That voice is there, you just need to be still for a moment and listen to it.
- You’ve gotten feedback from a mentor. If you don’t have a mentor, get one. A mentor is like the master chef who can support you in creating the Recipe that tastes yummy to you. A mentor will tell you it’s time to get out of your marinade and start cooking…and most of us need that.
- Tell others about what you’re cooking…in other words get others to hold you accountable to light a fire under you.
- Eliminate should from your vocabulary…as soon as you (as Tony Robbins says) start shoulding on yourself…you’ve been marinating too long and need to get out as quickly as possible!
Are you marinating in your savory sauce or languishing in it? How do you know when you’ve marinated enough?
Love this analogy!
I’ve been marinading for quite some time as well and finally with the help of my business advisor (Dr. Daddy)…I am DONE!! Oh yeah baby!!
Love that feeling 🙂 I also have a mentor that keeps me on my toes, {literally} and actually very glad that she does!
And as far as the word should…I tell my kids…should of , would of , could of…don’t exist in our vocabulary…only doing is acceptable:)
Good for you! Having people who will pluck you out of the marinade is crucial….whether it’s a mentor, teacher, consultant or coach;-)
When I was little my stepmom would say to me…”coulda, woulda, shoulda”…don’t mean a thing!
This is such great insight Danielle! And what a fab analogy 🙂 Can you give some examples of things you or others might marinate on? Thanks.
Sure Jennifer,
Here are some of the things I’ve been marinating in: my book; I’ve been working on it and thinking about it and have a lot of the material written…I need to get on with it already.
I have a new coaching program that I’m fooling around with…it will be good, but I can’t seem to get myself to get it finished.
Sometimes I marinate (or wallow) in unrealistic expectations of myself…yuck!
I think entrepreneurs marinate way too long with everything. I know there are times that I do and I use a little technique to pull me out of it.
Let me use Danielle as an example. You have a book you’ve been marinating in. You’ve worked on it, thought about it to death, but aren’t getting it finished. So ask yourself this “what if my book changes someone’s life?” I know it sounds like a big question, but what if just one person reads something in that book that makes everything ‘click’ for them?
They need you but that book won’t help them if it’s marinating. So I put this pressure on myself to stop thinking and start finishing. It’s not about me, or you, or any consultant. It’s about the people you can help by sharing your knowledge. You owe it to them. And believe me, there’s a LOT of people out there who need help!
I guess this seems a little dramatic, but it gets me to stop marinating.
With this comment am I officially a regular?
I would NEVER put you in the category of “regular” John Morgan! (but maybe I’ll call you “Norm” from now on;-) ). You, of course, are soooo right about putting it in the right perspective.
It is amazing because when you phrase it as you did…it is a matter of how you can be of service…not about your fears, discomfort, etc.
I think we need some dramatics to kick ourselves out of the marinade and into the fire, so to speak.
As always, you add soo much to the conversation and I appreciate your insights and teaching us more awesomeness!