I recently organized a virtual zoom holiday game night for our email subscribers. When I set up the event through Eventbrite, I made it public so that subscribers could invite a friend. To my surprise, non-subscribers on the Eventbrite platform took an interest in the event, and they booked 100% of the seats in minutes!

I mean, duh! Why didn't I think people would want to play some fun games, meet new people, and get a free Starbucks gift card and other prizes? 

Let it Sink In...

These were complete strangers! They didn't know the Joymosa brand or me. They hadn't been reading the blog for months or getting my open, vulnerable emails sharing my own journey to joy and tips for a joyful life. 

They may not trust me. They may not think this is fun. Will they forgive me if I say something stupid or lame? Will they stay online? Will they even show up? What about the subscribers who wanted to join? Will they be upset because all the seats were taken?

The questions and doubt poured in! And I was nervous! 

Call a Friend

Thankfully, I could phone a friend to help me shake the nerves, see the opportunities, and develop a game plan!  

This predicament was chocked full of positive outcomes that I needed to acknowledge!

First, it was a chance to meet and reach new people -- I could spread cheer to those I wouldn't otherwise have access to! 

Also, it was an opportunity to dust off my event-planning skills and get more ideas for other Joymosa virtual and in-person events!

And, of course, it was a chance for me just to have fun with other humans, as we are slowly opening up for in-person post-pandemic interactions.

Show up. 

In one of our conversations about this event, my friend said to me, "You are enough."

I trusted everything would be ok, and I showed up with all my 'enoughness'! My hot pink Joymosa pullover hoodie and lipstick were on, my camera perfectly angled to display my festive Christmas tree behind me! And I was ready to meet all the bright new faces and excited to give all the positive energy that I could summon for the event's 90 minutes.

Embrace the Awkward

Minutes before the event, the game host from Game Night Out, my friend and Joymosa subscriber, and I gathered on Zoom. I was excited that we had Phillip as a host - he is such a professional and fun host!  

Then, others gathered in the virtual waiting room until we let them in at once. 

I was surprised that less than 50% of the confirmed people actually signed on. But I was happy that they showed up! 

What followed was awkward.

All the games required everyone to have video and audio working. But, it was not active for all the participants that showed up. So, we spent 20 minutes troubleshooting and trying to help and encourage participants to turn on their cameras and audio. 

Ultimately, we determined that we could not play and ended early.

Do the Aftermath & Don't Use the "F" Word

I was pretty disappointed. Mainly because I really wanted people to enjoy what I knew would be a fun time! But, I fought off using the "F" word to describe the event because "failure" is fake! 

Failure is truly a failure only if you give up or don't learn anything from it. And, we can turn an unfavorable outcome into something favorable if we choose to.

So, I chose to learn from my experience with this event. Here are some things I learned: 

1. Not all people are comfortable turning on cameras for a zoom game with strangers in a virtual room.  

2. Not everyone who confirms will show up. 

3. I have some great friends.

4. It's good to acknowledge the growth.

Your recent "flop"?

Have you had a recent "flop" that turned out to be a pretty good thing? What happened? Share in the comments?