How to Find the Courage to Go Against the Grain in World that Rewards Following Status Quo

Hey hey, Kathryn here! I’m so glad you’re tuning in. If you’re new to the show, welcome. I’m so glad you’re here. If you’ve been around for a bit, you know I’m all about keeping it real with you. Showing you all the sides of entrepreneurship (& life). I mean it’s all connected, right? 

Kathryn Thompson  0:00  

Hey, hey, Kathryn here. I'm so glad you're tuning in. If you're new to the show, welcome, welcome. I'm super stoked that you're here. If you've been around for a bit, you know, I'm all about keeping it real with you, showing you all sides of entrepreneurship and life. I mean, it's all connected, right. And on this fine Thursday, as I set my home office in Canada, where I'm recording this podcast episode, I am reminded how grateful I am for the opportunity to be able to produce these shows weekly, to bring on guests and connect with guests from all over the world that can share their perspectives with you. But also when I'm even just sitting here solo and recording this episode, like I am right now that I get to connect with you at this capacity. And I'm just so grateful. Every time I hear from any one of you the breakthroughs the AHA has the motivation, or even just the complete content or peace that comes from listening to this, like, Okay, I'm not alone on this, she feels that too, or he feels it too, or they've been there too. And that this is totally normal that I'm feeling this way. Because I find that this entrepreneurial journey can feel very lonely sometimes, especially if you're in an in an area or a networker community that maybe isn't entrepreneurial, or you don't have a lot of entrepreneurial friends, and they're working a nine to five or your family doesn't get what you do. And so it can feel very lonely. And it's one of the reasons I created this podcast. It's one of the reasons why I do the work that I do. Because I really do want to create a community that can tune in weekly, like you guys do, and walk away feeling like, Okay, I'm not so alone in this or she gets me. And so I'm just super grateful. And I just wanted to thank you all each and every week for tuning in. And we're coming up to a year here of having the show. And there's going to be a big celebration around that in July. So definitely stay tuned. And as I look out my window, I'm also grateful as I look on my window, it's frickin sunny here today, it's been kind of gloomy where I am, like I said in Canada, and it isn't where I live, we're it's traditionally Sunny, even though it might not always be warm, it can be minus 50 Some days, and minus or plus 30 Some days. So yes, we have all of the extremes. But the sunshine is something that we get all year round, even in the depths of winter when it's freaking cold out. But like I said, it's been gloomy the past couple of weeks on and off. And so all that makes me want to do is curl up on the couch and crush Netflix and I have been doing that a little bit, but it's sunny out there. So I'm super happy and saw the little host plants that I'm that I'm growing. And anybody that knows me knows that I couldn't keep a host plant alive if my life depended on it. But that has changed, I have found the balance between how much to water them and how much not to water them because I think I overwatered a lot of them all the time, I would go weeks without watering them. And so I felt like I needed to like dump a whole bucket in there to like, you know, give them water because they had been starved of water. So my host plants are thriving, which I absolutely loved. So I might have to build, build up my collection. I don't know if any of you struggle with keeping host plants alive. But I'm just like, super stoked that I've got 123456 in my office, and they're all thriving. So it's amazing. I'm also sipping on a very cold cup of coffee. I poured this baby at about 1030 this morning, and it's 1230 and it's cooled. And oftentimes people think I'm crazy, because it's like, how are you still sipping on that cold cup of coffee, but whether it's cold or hot, I don't care. I love coffee. Anyways, let's dive in. I digress. Let's dive in. Today, I'm really excited to talk about the topic on how to find the courage and the bravery to go against the grain in a world or society where like I said, I feel like we're rewarded for following status quo. And we see this in all facets of our life and business, right. And even as entrepreneurs, when we feel like you know what, Catherine, I'm pushing the edges in my business. I feel like I'm constantly challenging my industry, I'm wanting to change things. I'm a creative thinker, I'm an independent thinker. There are areas in life and business where we might not necessarily be living up to our highest potential or showing up as the fullest expression of ourselves. And again, why I created this podcast be the sought-after entrepreneur because I really am on a mission to help entrepreneurs show up as the fullest expression of who they are in their business, so that they can live that fulfilled life. They can build a business that's sustainable, because when we aren't showing up as the fullest expression of who we are. It isn't sustainable over time. We're going to feel that inner restlessness that like ooh, is there more Is there something different I'm not quite loving, this is not quite, you know, giving me that spark that I once had. So, I want to share with you some of the practical tips steps that I've implemented in my life and in my business so that I'm constantly open to challenging my current reality, challenging status quo and not getting complacent necessarily in my business and in my life. And if you are a high-achieving entrepreneur, you're gonna get that right, that we often don't sit long enough to even revel in, in the moment. So this isn't about like constantly striving or chasing, but it's like being able to go, okay, you know what, I've done things this certain way. And it isn't really in alignment with me, or as you evolve and grow, it might no longer be in alignment with you, and you're going to have to maybe carve a different path or go against the grain, so to speak. And it takes bravery and courage because most people follow that status quo, right that we it's the same same, right you even see this with social media, the content that's fed to you, or curated for your eyes is based on your patterns, right? It's based on what you're searching, what you're following who your followers are those sorts of things. And so what ends up happening is, it's very curated to feed to you the same same. We see this with social media trends, right? We see this with trending music and reels. If you want to get your content seen, you've got to create reels now. And then if you want to get it seen more, you've got to produce it with trending music. Well, all that does is cultivate an environment that's creating the same type of content, with the same type of music just sort of rejigged a little bit, right? There's a lot of emulation or cookie cutter. And so my whole goal with this podcast with the quiz I created, if you haven't taken the quiz yet, I highly recommend that you do. But if you haven't listened to the episode of why I created the quiz, it also was really this was to help give people the permission to show up as their unique energy and the unique expression of who they are, regardless of what everyone else tells them that they should be or who they even think they believe they should be right. And I caught myself when I released the quiz, because it really is one of the most epic quizzes the interwebs have ever seen. And the results pages are like out of this world, there's so much depth and thoughtfulness there that I had one individual telling me how overwhelming it was like sorry that it just was so overwhelming, there was too much content there. And my inner child was screaming because I am this big ball of energy. I'm a manifesting generator and human design in the human design world, which means I've got this big expansive energy and a big shadow of mine is shrinking, shrinking in my own ability and shrinking in my potential because I don't want to be too much. And so even though we've had the most epic feedback from the quiz to date, that one comment had me going home, like, is it too much should I take some content away, which is crazy, because the content isn't meant for you to digest in one sitting, it really is a resource that you can revisit. And that's something that we've heard from a lot of people is like, you know, this isn't something I'm gonna read today and completely digest, it's something I can revisit. And there's just so much there from like, the types of customer experiences that you can create for your audience, in your clients to the social media platforms to be on for your business to really thrive. And what's interesting is a lot of people keep saying, oh, man, like I've been doing, you know, Instagram daily and consistently, but it's actually against my energy. It's not really in alignment with who I am. But I felt like I needed to show up on social in order to build a thriving business. And so this quiz has really given people the permission to, to not to go against the grain to carve their own path. So how do we do that? And how do we find the courage to really do that? In a world that rewards same cookie-cutter, one size fits all? Well, one of the things that I've been practicing and one of the things I often tell my clients to do is is to disassociate from the same type of people in your industry, right. So unfollow all of the people that are doing similar things to you. So and why this is important is because when social media feeds you, all of the same content, that's all you're seeing, and your perspective becomes very laser-focused or tunnel vision, so to speak, not laser focus, but tunnel vision. It becomes very tunnel-visioned on that industry. And before you know it, you start to be like a chameleon in that space. You start to emulate maybe without even knowing it. You stop replicating without even knowing it right? And you start to copy what people are doing because you're like, oh, Joe or Jilly built this really successful business and created this offer and delivered it in this way and markets in this way. And so it worked for Julie or Joe or whoever. And so I'm going to do something similar. And so when you're surrounded and being constantly digesting the same type of content, it's really hard to, to come up with any sort of creative solutions, right? It's hard for you to like, see any other way of doing things. So I often tell people, literally unfollow everybody in your industry, or if you don't want to unfollow them, just mute them. But I tend to unfollow right and go and find accounts, or businesses or something, or people that offer a different perspective, maybe a more creative perspective. So I often will go and follow like musicians, or artists, or handmade artists, or Potter's or writers or something that is, you know, writers that are writing about not topics on business, or marketing or sales, or any of those sorts of things, but like, different perspectives, so that I am digesting different thoughts and ideas. Because when we are consuming the same amount of the same type of things, we naturally will become a chameleon to that will naturally not broaden our perspective. And so it's like, how do we go against the grain and find the courage to do that? Is it first by digesting or watching what we consume? What type of content? are we consuming? How much of it? are we consuming it? Is it the same replicated content over and over? Right? Or is there other perspectives out there other people that are challenging or pushing the boundaries? Are there other people that can shift my perspective or get me to look at things a different way? For me is the very first thing that I do is like how can I surround myself on social media? And the content that I'm taking in even books, right? So oftentimes, I hear entrepreneurs say, well, Katherine, all they read is business and personal development. I'm like, go read a fantasy novel, or go read like something else. If you love to read, like broaden your perspective, broaden what you're digesting, broaden what you take in, right? It's the same with media. If you're watching the news, and you're watching a particular channel, it's going to have its bias, it's going to have a perspective that it wants to share a message, right? It's going to be a narrative that they're they're selling you on. And if you want to broaden that perspective, you've got to digest a variety of different perspectives, right? And a variety of different narratives. So that's the first thing is, what type of content are you digesting? And how can you broaden that perspective? If you want to find the courage and the bravery to go against the grain? Because what you're going to see is a bunch of different people with a bunch of different perspectives coming and sharing that openly, right? Yes, they have their own, you know, ways and narratives of what they want to share. But when we can see people fully expressing who they are in their own right, even if they aren't in agreement with what it is, then, then, you know, it gives us the motivation and courage to do it. Some of the accounts that have really helped me, Africa, Brooke is amazing. She talks all about self-censorship and communication. She's brilliant Mark groves. He's a relationship guy, right. And I'm in a committed relationship. So it's not like I'm looking for, you know, a new date or anything like that. But he has this very unique way and perspective of and really challenges critical thinking, and independent thinking, and so he is somebody amazing to follow. Those are two accounts that I highly recommend. But like I said, if you're constantly digesting personal development or business-related stuff, I highly recommend if you want to get that creative, thinking going, or even imagination and creativity, like and you'd like to read or you want to listen to the podcast, right? It's like, can you go listen to a podcast that's that completely in left field compared to business development and personal development and all of that, because that's going to give you a different perspective, a more creative way to look at things, that sort of thing. The other thing is, is, you know, to be magnetic, Lacey Phillips,

she calls them expanders. One of the things I often look for in my vicinity in my realm or whatever is expanders, people that are going to expand my worldview, expand the way that I think about things who are not just like-minded we often hear like, surround yourself with like-minded people, which is awesome. It's super great. It's wonderful. Right, but like-minded creates more like-minded. Right? So it's like, how do I surround myself with people that are expanders and to me, expanders are people that are going to challenge the way that I view the world challenge the way that I view business and are going to help me expand that consciousness, that level of thinking, right? And they're often not like-minded. There are people that think very differently to me, they're, they're, you know, they're operating in a very different way. Those are the people for me that are expanders. So I often look for those people, I often look and go, Okay, who can I you know, who is a good person that I could connect with or collaborate with. And again, one of the reasons why I created this podcast was to bring on people that have a variety of different perspectives that can challenge the way that we do things. I just had a pitch recently, one of the most brilliant pitches, podcast pitches from an individual on him having him on the show, and I can't wait to have him on. And one of the things he said was, I really love your episodes, X, Y, and Z. But I think that I can actually offer a different perspective. And that's what I'm looking for whenever somebody wants to come on the show is like, how can you want add to the conversation, but also give a different perspective to it so that people can broaden their scope, their horizon can look at things differently, because that is where true innovation comes, right? True. Innovation does not come from following the status quo and following cookie-cutter content and cookie-cutter, copy, and cookie-cutter marketing tactics, it doesn't come from that innovation comes from challenging what we're doing to critically look at the industry you're in, where how you're working, how you're operating, how you're delivering your programs, how you're delivering your products, and how to really improve them, people like Dyson didn't, you know, sit in his house and go, How can I create a cookie-cutter vacuum cleaner? No, he was like, I want to create a vacuum cleaner that's substantially different than anything that's on the market. Right, though, that's innovation. So this is another thing that I often recommend is one look for those expanders, people that are going to challenge your set of code. This is where it's uncomfortable, right? This is where it can get really uncomfortable. Because if you are in a place of rigidity within your thinking and your beliefs, it can be uncomfortable to be in a room and have a conversation with somebody or be in an event or whatever, where they're challenging who you are, where they're challenging your beliefs, right? Those are, those are expanders, those are people that are going to do that. But it can be very, very challenging, and triggering, right? So that is it. But it will help you develop that courage and that bravery to go home. Okay, I can do something different in my business or, you know, create different content.

The other thing that I'm going to say is, you know, it's, again, it's the consumption of your content, but then it's also the people that you surround yourself with, like-minded people are great, but really look for those expanders. And the third thing that I'm going to say is, is one of the biggest things for me is, is actually tuning out a lot of the things that I'm digesting, right, so it's like, yes, it's really important to take in to learn to be with expanders to have people broaden your perspectives and all those sorts of things. But then there's also the one really key piece is tuning into yourself, right is to actually take time to tune into who you are. And that requires you being in silence giving yourself the space to step off the hamster wheel of the doo doo doo doo doo. And to actually just pause and to think about what is it that you actually truly want? What do you actually want to bring to this world? What impact do you want to create, as a high achiever over achiever entrepreneur? It's hard for us to slow down sometimes it's hard for us to pause and go hmm, you know, like, Can I take a moment in silence and just actually really think about it because here's the thing. The reason why it's hard to challenge the status quo sometimes is because we get into this one trackway of being, which is doo, doo hustle, you know, and our schedules are so full, that we don't even have an opportunity to allow insight, or intuitive hits, or inspiration or motivation to come through. Because we are constantly consuming. We're constantly surrounding ourselves with people we're digesting content, right? The overconsumption of information is rampid. Right is how much can I take in how much can I learn? How much can I implement? How much can I you know, execute that strategy? How many people can I attract? How many sales can I make, right? It's always doing it's What can I do to achieve X result? And that's brilliant. I'm not saying not to strive and not to have goals. But if you truly want to go against the grain and challenge status quo and really make an impact in the industry and be an innovator and a disrupter. And a trailblazer, it requires you to slow down in some capacity and sit in the silence and in the, you know, nuances of your day. And this is one of the most challenging for high achievers overachievers is to actually sit with themselves long enough to allow their mind to stop thinking to be not doing anything, and, and not feel guilty that they're not being productive. Right. So going against the grain takes a lot of courage and bravery, because it's it's literally doing things that you're not typically doing right. It's challenging the way in which you're being right now in this moment, right is and that slowness, those pauses, the quiet, the not doing is so hard. And I really struggled with it, I'm going to be honest, these are like the three things that I've really committed to doing in the last year, the slowness and the slowing down. And the space in my day, where I actually feel comfortable and not guilty is been the the one that has taken me the longest, like unfollowing people and reading different things and picking up different material and looking for expanders, and surrounding myself with expanders and being open minded enough to be in those spaces, and to sit with the discomfort of my triggers of like, oh, I don't really agree with that. But I'm willing to listen to what you have to say. Those are okay. They take time. And they do take work for sure. But it was the sitting in silence and allowing myself to just be has been one of the hardest and so but it is so potent, if you want to really challenge the status quo. And not a lot of people want to do that. Right. So now it's not for everybody. Some people are like, You know what, Kathryn, I'm running my business, super cool.

I'm not here to like, make any like earth-shattering changes in the world, or whatever. And that's totally cool. That's absolutely cool. If that's how you want to be true, like amazing. But if you're wanting to disrupt if you're wanting to be an innovator, and most of the entrepreneurs, I know that's what they want, right? They want to have do meaningful work. And they want to create a meaningful impact. And in order to create meaningful work to impact, you have to be willing to go against the grain and challenge the status quo. And so those are the three sort of practical tips. And there, they're practical. I'm not gonna say they're simple, because they're not they do take some patience, and some, you know, moments of frustration, for sure, especially when you're being expanded into other areas and different perspectives. Like I said, there can be a lot of triggering moments like, I don't really like that, or I'm going to shut down around this for right now. But just give you the space to come back to it right that that can truly happen. And so but it's so worthwhile, if like I said, if you want to be a trailblazer and disrupter, and you want to change things for the better, right? You want to help people. In a more fulfilling and impactful way, these are three really practical tips, but they're not things that a lot of people talk about. Because oftentimes, it's like buy this business book, or buy this personal development book or enroll in this program. That's literally, same same, right? And not because the person running it is is like copying what people are doing. But it's like, when you're taking business course after business course after business course to grow your business. It's all relatively somewhat the same topics, right? But what if you plunked yourself in a think tank in Silicon Valley, let's just say learning about tech innovators or smarter ways to operate or whatever it is, right? Like if you're constantly surrounding yourself in business programs, and business courses, you know, you're gonna it's all relatively similar type of things that people are talking about, right? marketing is marketing, sales is sales, right? And so it's like, how do I if I really want to innovate, like, maybe it's going to a retreat or signing up for a program that's completely out of left field that's like, oh, man, doesn't even feel like it's, it's, it's for your business. Right. So I recently just signed up for a Biohacking Conference in Beverly Hills in September. And I signed up for it. And I was like, in the moment I'm like, you know, this isn't a business conference. Like is how is this going to help my business but it's like it's something so completely Different to any event that I've ever gone to right. Most of the events and conferences that I've gone to are business-related to some degree. And this particular one is biohacking. It's all-around health and consciousness and, you know, living and being a better human. And as you know, like, if, if I'm not thriving, and you're not thriving in your business, your business isn't going to thrive. But I also see it as a really good opportunity to put myself in a really uncomfortable situation in a room of people that are like not necessarily people that I normally mingle with, right, like, really, forward thinkers, independent thinkers, like doctors, like there, it's not rooms that I'm typically in. And so I was like, You know what, I'm going to do it because I feel really called to do it. I also really love a lot of the speakers that are there. And I know of them in the health space. But I'm but by no means have I ever been in a room like that. And so that's what I'm talking about is like how can you broaden your perspective, put yourself in situations that might feel really freaking uncomfortable. And the uncomfortableness comes from like, I'm really comfortable in my business world. And I'm really comfortable going to business conferences and talking about business. But now you want me to sit in a room, where we're talking about health and, and mind, and there are neuroscientists there, and all these things that are like, outside of my realm, that's an uncomfortable feeling, right. And so it's finding the courage and the bravery to even do that, even though it's scary. And that's one example of something I'm doing this year, where I'm literally putting myself in a room of people I would not normally be around, but I see them as expanders, and I see them as expanders, because they, they think differently than me, they've got different perspectives than me, they talk about different things than I am comfortable talking about or being around or whatever. And so that's the way in which if you really want to carve your own path, but also find the courage and bravery to go against the grain is, is to do the uncomfortable things of really expanding the way in which you look at the world and your business. And that's going to require you to put yourself in rooms and spaces and digest content, that's maybe something that you don't agree with, or something that you've never thought about, or things that are going to trigger the shit out of you. Because you're like, I don't, I don't agree with that. And you might not agree with it in the moment, you might come around and shift your perspective, or you might just never agree with it. But the beauty of that is one to coexist in a world and an environment where we can have differing of opinions and different thoughts and, and still live in a respectful way and not hate on each other have a right or wrong, or I'm on this side or that side, right. That's the world I would love to live in. That's the world I hope to live in. Because I feel like that gives us the permission to show up as the fullest expression of who we are, without needing to shrink, right? Like I was needing to shrink because I thought my quiz was too much for people or feeling like I can't be the big expensive energy because people won't be able to handle it right. Or I can't really say that, because that's going to offend somebody or piss somebody off. And that to me is is the thing that's actually going to help you stand out, it's the thing that's going to help your business Elevate, it's the impact or the deeper impact you're gonna be able to have with your audience, which is what we all want as entrepreneurs, right, we want to create impact, we want to do good work and, and have meaningful work. And in order to do that, and to really stand out, we've got to be the fullest expression of who we are. And in order to be the fullest expression of who we are, we've got to have the courage and bravery to go against the grain in a world that rewards following the status quo. And if you want to do that, those are three really practical tips that you can do. And if you're thinking you want to get really bold, I highly suggest you take a peruse on the interwebs or the world and you look around or you asking networks of like where you think about, I'd really love to go to a conference in this regard. But it's like so left field to what I even do, how am I going to benefit from it? Because that was the question I had with a Biohacking Conference. I was like, how is this going to benefit my business? Right? And it was like it's not really business-focused or business-related, but it totally will impact me because it's different information that I'm digesting and I could have a massive epiphany there and some really cool innovative idea. Who knows? We don't know, right? So, you know, again, if you want to be really bold, it's like what event or conference or experience can you do this year that's completely going to broaden or expand your thinking and your consciousness and the level in which that you're operating and that's gonna require putting yourself in rooms that people think differently than you. And that, like I said, is a beautiful thing when we can coexist in a world where, you know, people have different opinions than we do. And they think differently, and they express themselves differently. And they show up differently. And it's okay. Right, it's okay that, you know, there are people walking around with bright pink hair and big boots, army boots on and then there are others that want to wear flip flops, or there are people that you know, want to express themselves in written form or verbal form in a certain way. And, and it might not be, you know, swearing, right, right. That's a big one I often hear with entrepreneurs is like, I'm sorry, I'm swearing, is that okay? It's like, you know, the day that we, we can stop apologizing for who we truly are, that we can show up on a Zoom meeting, and our hair can be completely all over the frickin place. And we don't need to apologize for it. Right? How many times do you catch yourself apologizing, I'm really sorry, I'm not put together today. Or I'm really sorry, my shirt, it's a mess. Or I'm really sorry that I just swore I'm really sorry that I said it this way. I don't mean to be rude, you know, where the world where we can stop apologizing for who we truly are is a world that I want to live in and be part of. And that's the change I want to help see. And that's why I started this podcast. That's why I am doing what I'm doing. And I encourage you guys to do the same. So I wanted to share those three practical tips with you so that you can start to find the bravery, the courage to go against the grain, because that is what's what I'm really all about. And I hope that you know, I want to empower you and give you the permission to do the same and to be the fullest expression of yourself. So I hope you have a fine Tuesday by the time this drops, but it's a Thursday here. So I hope you have a fine Tuesday. And I hope that these have been some really practical tips for you. Cheers.