The house is quiet this afternoon. It’s just me and the pugs Uncle Bob and Jack Junior — and they’re in the living room, stretched out on their sides, sunning themselves, bellies exposed. So trusting.
I’m in my office that will someday be converted into a bedroom for Mitzi, my eldest daughter, who we haven’t adopted yet. In fact, she’s not even on the radar. Chuck and I had an agreement when we got married: no kids.
At this point in my life my goals are all career focused. It’s also hard to imagine how to have a family when I work 70-80 hours per week. My job as a creative executive at a network is highly coveted. I have to be better than the best and watch my back.
My feet are resting on the wooden desk - a great giant antique on loan from a friend. It has all these little cubbies to put letters and stamps and files and trinkets in. As an OCD perfectionist, it brings me so much delight to see an organizational system built into the furniture.
Did you know when Warren Buffet is in his office he doesn’t make phone calls, take meetings, shuffle papers, put paper clips into little drawers or sort pens by color? He sits and thinks thoughts.
As of this posting, Warren Buffet’ s net worth is $118 billion.
I have no idea if Buffet’s moonshot is to be one of the ten richest men in the world, but I’m intrigued by what he’s achieved and I wonder if maybe I’ve been playing small.
THINKING THOUGHTS
So on that quiet afternoon over twenty years ago, I have my first interaction with contemplating a moonshot. I figure if Warren Buffet is successful in simply thinking thoughts, maybe I should give it a try.
It’s wildly uncomfortable.
I don’t know if I should take notes, work with a whiteboard, or record my thoughts. I make a bold choice and keep thinking whilst doing nothing else.
Doing nothing but thinking violates my identity as someone who is highly productive. I excel at multitasking and it makes me feel grounded and safe. If I’m only thinking then how can I be achieving?
I get a call and take it. “I’m thinking thoughts,” I say when asked what I’m up to. I could have let the caller leave a message, but I wanted someone to witness how courageous I was in not doing anything. Whoops. How cool I am in thinking.
“Why are you thinking?” asks my friend. I hear the pugs snoring softly from the other room. I see one of their dog hairs embedded in the carpet. No matter how carefully I vacuum, there will always be dog hair.
“I’m trying to envision my moonshot,” I say.
The term “moonshot” came from NASA when they were working on the Apollo 11 spaceflight project. Landing the first human on the moon was a real longshot.
“Don’t you want to keep climbing the corporate ladder?” says my friend.
It’s true. I’ve been getting promoted every few years and want to keep going.
“Yeah, but … something is niggling at me and I think maybe I should slow down for a hot second and listen to it.” I wrap up the call with a promise to figure out a time for us to go to Koi for baked crab handrolls.
I’M SCARED SO I PLAY SMALL
That afternoon, I didn’t come up with a moonshot, but I could feel the truth that I had been playing small and my curiosity had been piqued. And underneath the curiosity was terror. The very nature of a moonshot is that the likelihood of success is quite low.
As a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser I have historically been drawn to big goals as a way to prove that I can be perfect and pleasing. What happens if I go for a moonshot and I fail? What will that say about me?
It says: I’m a failure, I’m not perfect, I’m not pleasing. Yikes. None of that is tolerable.
So I play out the next few years and receive another promotion. I fight the dawning recognition that my goals have been a reflection of how much I strive for external validation.
From time to time, I contemplate what a moonshot means to me, but come up empty. What I don’t know at the time is that moonshots are meant to be driven by our values and life purpose, and the stand we want to make to improve and make our world better.
Many of my coaching clients also struggle with imagining what a moonshot might be for themselves because they have so much fear that they will fail. Can their confidence withstand a blow like that? Can mine?
So yeah, back on that lovely Los Angeles afternoon, with my feet up on that gorgeous wooden desk, in the quiet of Laurel Canyon, pugs trusting that all is right in the world, the moonshot I was trying to identify had no traction because I was not connected to my values or purpose.
So much so that a few years later I would be fired from my fancy corporate gig.
MOONSHOTS ARE NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL
Sometimes when I had a notion for a moonshot, I would dismiss it as being too small. It felt like it needed to be epic. Wildly impressive. But what I have learned through my coach training is that what requires monumental effort by one person, may be super easy for another.
I recently interviewed Coach and Doctor of Pharmacology Amy Behimer who shared a bit about her journey with autoimmune disease. In our conversation she had shared how a moonshot could be walking to the mailbox.
It made me recognize that it is not for us to judge other people's goals, nor should we judge our own. It is wise though to assess our goals to determine whether we have the desire or the need to take a giant leap -as well as what values we are honoring. But comparing our goals to someone else’s is deeply limiting and moves us away from our values and purpose.
STEPS TO UNCOVER YOUR MOONSHOT
When I work with clients (and coach myself!) these are the seven steps we take when finding our moonshot.
Step One: Listen Deeply to Yourself
Create consistent space for self-reflection through journaling, meditation or walks.
Ask yourself questions like: What if failure wasn't an option? What scares me? What needs in the world am I called to meet?
Pro tip: Gremlins typically pop up because you are onto something big. Don’t edit yourself. Just let the thoughts, ideas and feelings bubble to the surface even if they feel absurd or don’t make sense.
Step Two: Concrete Reflections
Turn your musings into tangible forms. Jot down notes or make voice memos.
Again, ask yourself questions like:
What values am I honoring in the pursuit of this moonshot?
How am I living my life purpose?
What needs in the world does the moonshot meet?
What scares me about this moonshot?
Who do I need to be in order to achieve this moonshot?
What do I need to say “no” to in order to say “yes”?
Step Three: Craft a Plan
Once you have narrowed down your choice of moonshot, it’s time to build out the 30,000 foot plan of execution. Here’s a structure:
Identify the specific Moonshot
Breakdown the Moonshot into:
Long-term goals
Mid-term goals
Short-terms goals
Take the short-term goals and create action steps using the SMART method: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound
Pro-tip: This step takes many revisions and is constantly adjusted.
Step Four: Align with Your True Motivations
This may seem counter-intuitive since you’ve just created a plan, however, it’s important to pause to reassess your "why" and realign with your values and purpose. Ensure your plan remains in harmony with your true motivations.
Frequently new data or information reveals itself in the planning phase that violates your core values or steps on your purpose.
You may also discover that the gremlins have surreptitiously gotten to you and you’re motivated by fear and striving.
If that’s the case you have three choices:
Keep going as is.
Abandon the moonshot (see Step Five.)
Re-assess and re-craft the plan so you are in alignment.
Step Five: Decide When to Quit and Embrace Failure
We unfortunately don’t have a crystal ball, no fortune-telling powers—just life's unpredictable twists. The truth is that you will have many new experiences and a lot of new information will reveal itself during your moonshot journey.
So it’s now time to write yourself a permission slip to identify the circumstances in which you will decide it’s time to quit. Here are a few examples from my clients:
My health is impacted.
Something happens to my family
Someone beats me to it and I don’t have the resources to compete
Diminishing returns because my values have shifted
By identifying the circumstances to quit before you start, this will protect you from falling to the gremlin voices when things get difficult.
And now write a letter to your future self if you fail. Remind yourself of why you said yes in the first place. What do you want to remind your future self about who you are and what’s important to you? Offer advice, be your own coach. Tell yourself how proud you are of the journey taken.
Step Six: Prepare for Setbacks
It’s inevitable that there will be significant setbacks. It’s the nature of the moonshot. How do you want to handle them? Set up operating instructions much like airlines do in the event of an emergency. What’s your version of:
Putting on the oxygen mask?
Leaving personal belongings behind?
Following the lighted arrows on the floor?
My version entails scheduling a therapy appointment to ensure I don’t fall into an abyss of negative self-judgment (hatred) and colluding with gremlins. I also take a big hike or do a hard workout to release adrenaline, toxins and negative energy. Finally, I will go to a Korean Day Spa to do hot and cold plunges to remind myself that I can adapt to what seems intolerable at first.
Step Seven: Become the Person You Need to Be
A moonshot is a “giant leap.” What are the qualities you need to develop so you stick your landing? Take cues from athletes:
Train to develop skill, craft and stamina. My version of this is taking classes, being in an accountability group and exercising consistently.
Join a team with a great coach. Who are your people and mentors? Who can step in to shore up your weaknesses? Who are your truth tellers?
Practice and scrimmage. Who do you run ideas and plays past before you take it out into the real world?
Review the game tape. Assess what you’re doing well and what needs improvement. Use data to inform this assessment. Don’t listen to gremlins or gossip.
IT’S YOUR CHOICE
Going for a moonshot may not resonate for you. And that’s okay as long as you are honoring a value and not playing small or listening to nay-sayers (including the ones in your own head.) Don’t listen to the “if only” voices that slow or stop you - they are gremlins:
If only someone believed in me
If only I had financial security
If only I had more experience
If only I was an expert
If only I didn't have other obligations
I’m not advocating to blindly head into a moonshot. Assessing your strengths and needs is important as you begin your journey. When I chose to become a coach, I didn’t have experience nor was I an expert. So I enrolled in a certified training program. I also couldn’t afford to only work as a coach — I knew it would take time to build my client list. So I worked multiple jobs (and still do because I love all of them!)
BOTTOM LINE
In the quiet corners of reflection, we can unveil the intricacies of your moonshot journey. From resisting the call for a conventional life to contemplating audacious goals, your introspection will require courage and a commitment to self-discovery.
As we navigate the delicate balance between career demands and personal aspirations, remember that moonshots are not solely about grandeur; they are about aligning with your values and purpose. Listen to the voice inside that says that you are capable and competent.
What if I believed fully in myself?
What if I trusted that I could respond to setbacks?
What if I was fully connected to my natural resiliency?
What if I didn’t care about what other people think?
What if I succeeded?
Whether you're contemplating a giant leap or find solace in smaller steps, honor the unique rhythm of your own journey.
In the end, it took nearly two decades for me to crystallize my moonshot—to ensure no one gets left behind. May your path be as unpredictable and fulfilling as mine, and may your moonshot be a testament to the resilience within.
Here's to reaching for the stars, one thoughtful step at a time.
JOURNAL QUESTIONS
If you’d like support in further contemplating your moonshot, here are additional questions:
Have you ever considered pursuing a "moonshot" in your own life? What fears or doubts arise when thinking about such ambitious goals?
Reflect on a time in your life when fear held you back from taking a bold step. What did you learn from that experience?
Consider a goal you currently have—does it align with your values and purpose, or is it driven by external validation?
If you were to choose a moonshot goal today, how would you structure your plan, considering long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals?
MOONSHOT OFFERING: MOONSHOT PRODUCER GROUP
Are you an independent film and / or television producer seeking a confidential and nurturing space to exchange expertise, grow as a leader, and tackle challenges creatively?
Throughout my career as a buyer and producer, I've longed for a circle of kindred spirits where I could openly share my vulnerabilities and wisdom, learn, evolve, offer support, be a cheerleader, find solace in shared struggles, and celebrate well-earned successes.
If you feel the same, I'd love to extend an invitation to join a discreet and tightly-knit group focused on enhancing your professional influence and propelling your career to new levels of success. Link here to learn more and sign-up for a complimentary consultation to determine if the Moonshot Producer Group is a match for you.
MOONSHOT RECOMMENDATION: FINANCIAL FREEDOM WORKSHOP
My friend, certified trauma-informed master financial wellness coach, Katy Chen Mazzara, is hosting a FREE workshop designed for creatives. This is not your average financial advice - it's a journey to financial freedom tailored to the unique challenges creative freelancers and entrepreneurs face.
In the Financial Freedom Formula workshop, Katy will guide you through a series of powerful steps designed to help you make more, worry less, and still pursue your creative passions.
Here's a sneak peek of what Katy will cover in the workshop 👀:
✅ How to attract more money so that you’re no longer limited by your bank balance.
✅ How to get unstuck by releasing money blocks so that you can bring in money doing what you love.
✅ How to create a foundation for the future so that you can have peace of mind, security and stability.
Katy's approach is unlike anything you've experienced. As a former TV producer, award-winning documentary filmmaker, and journalist, she blends practical tools with spiritual practices, guiding you towards wealth without sacrificing your life or creativity.
Sign up here for the Financial Freedom Formula Workshop: Dec 5th, 7th, and 9th. Take the first step toward a financially empowered and creatively liberated life.
🙌🏾 Questions? Would you like additional support in accessing resilience? I offer private coaching sessions as well as in-person and virtual group work. Reach out directly here to set up a complimentary consultation.
If you’re resonating with what you’re reading, please consider subscribing. What’s that mean?
🙌🏾 You’ll receive regular emails (with lots of heart and a bit of humor) that share a tool or insight from my coaching practice.
🙌🏾 Typically the blog and blogcast will have a question at the end to provoke thought that supports you in your growth.
🙌🏾 Updates on offerings, free stuff, recommendations, referrals.
My blog aims to help people achieve their ambitious goals, their moonshot if you will. 😃 Oftentimes, though, we neglect an essential aspect of pursuing our dreams: the inevitable missteps, obstacles, and failures that come our way. Failing to acknowledge and process these losses properly can lead to imposter syndrome, burnout, low self-esteem, confusion, and even result in completely abandoning our dreams. 😟 That's why I strongly advocate for embracing grief awareness (along with other tools like values identification, knowing your why, sharpening executive function, habit forming, and more.) By doing so, we can effectively navigate challenges, regain motivation, and hit our moonshots. ✌🏾️ If you know someone who could benefit, please share this newsletter or recommend me to them. 🙏
What’s a Moonshot and How Do I Find One?