You can go a long way with a Google search bar, a free tool, and an (un)healthy dose of curiosity.
The first version of Inner Workout’s Take Care PDF report was a Canva document I customized for each person who took the assessment.
And there was that time I re-published a Langston Hughes book as it entered the public domain.
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I could continue this walk down Taylor’s Past Project Lane…but I won’t.
Because scrappiness isn’t a Taylor exclusive. Spend five minutes with me, and I’ll remind you just how much is possible with the resources available.
Step one: Realizing you can do more than you thought.
The second step? Learning that you don’t have to do everything yourself just because you’re a capable human being.
As a scrappiness advocate, I’m obligated to share that scrappiness has a shadow.
There’s a murky line between scrappiness and self-sabotage, between what you could do and what’s actually getting done.
Here are three signs your scrappiness is veering into self-sabotage territory.
You’re not making progress.
Maybe you’ve got a sense of how to move your idea forward, but you freeze every time you try to take action. Your inner dialogue blocks out any creative thought. It tells you that this won’t work or that everyone’s going to judge you or insists that you’re not _________ enough to further this idea. You end up going nowhere.
When there’s a non-transferrable skill or experience you don’t have.
There was a point in the Inner Workout app journey where I thought I’d build the app myself using low code tools. Turns out, I’d still have to build a bunch of databases and interactions. Could I learn those skills? Yup. I even found resources to teach me. Would the time and energy be worth it? Not for me, and not for the app, either.
Spending months learning those skills would’ve been textbook scrappiness -> self-sabotage. Instead, I worked with developers who could move the technical side of the app forward, freeing me up to contribute to my zones of genius.
When you can’t hold yourself accountable.
You have everything in place to bring this idea to life. It’s all dated and color-coded. But you’re struggling to project manage yourself. It sounds silly to even admit it out loud. Shouldn’t it be easy to do what you told yourself you’d do? Even if it “should” be, the reality is: it isn’t easy for you right now. Shame—and scrappiness—keeps you looking for more DIY solutions.
The simplest way to push back against toxic scrappiness is to invite other people into your process.
Maybe you join a writing group or tap a friend to be an accountability buddy.
I also offer this support through my You Did That! accountability coaching and advising.
Coaching = I help you find the answers within.
Advising = I share potential answers/solutions based on my past experience.
You deserve both :)
