Don't be Scared of a little "Scared"

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It's the season to talk about being scared so here goes: Have you ever felt like you are on the threshold of something big, like you've built up enough momentum to take you to the next level but you find yourself too scared to take the next step? You calculate the risks, take stock of the sacrifices you would need to make, and are just too petrified to make another move? I don't know, but they say you're in good company. They say anybody who's ever had some measure of success has felt the fear and made the plunge anyway. (Not sure who 'they' is either....I'm just going with the flow.... ). Seriously though.....I've come to realize that feeling fear and vulnerability are necessary parts of the journey. Business owners risk that the market will accept a new product or innovation; Potential start-up investors know that on average seven out of ten of these investments go belly-up. Most new entrepreneurs hear the 'eight out of ten new ventures fail' tale every-day. But they do it anyway. I guess everybody comes to the place where they realize it's do or die.

Some weeks ago, as I read Brene Brown's "Daring greatly", I was faced with two big questions. One I had heard many times over, "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" It's a question I have answered several times in my mind - ranging from running a full time business (and yes, its all done on paper) to speaking to a live audience of thousands - but the second question is what really got me thinking (and excited). She asked us to contemplate "what's worth doing even if you fail?" Hmmmm. Now that's something else. What's important enough to you to risk failing at? What matters enough to you to get you beyond the point of being scared? How willing are you to challenge Henry David Thoreau's assertion that the 'mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to their graves with their song still in them?"


So what's a little 'scared'? It's a good thing, actually. It renders you vulnerable, humble, dependent on expert advice and most importantly, teachable. It makes you aware of the mistakes you make along the way and therefore provides a host of what-not-to-dos next time round. Mistakes, they say are better teachers than successes. It's wisdom you can pass down, paying it forward as you progress in your business, building strong networks of partners and team members. So embrace the fear. Know that it comes with the territory. Just do it again, and again, and again....Do it scared that's how you get there,

So today, challenge yourself to identify that one thing that you are scared of that's likely to have the biggest impact on your dream. Now juxtapose that fear against your biggest WHY...What's your most important reason for wanting to pursue your dream? How do they stack up against each other? Do you find your 'why' more compelling than your fear? Does your 'why' not push you beyond those boundaries? If it does, you're in a good place. Feel the fear and do it anyway.....