Letting in work in your favor
Uncertainty and the “what ifs”, is a sure way to stay in the safety net. The defining moment of your life will be when you chose to become uncomfortable by getting out of your comfort zone and taking a risk.
“Fear never drives us forward the same way it holds us back.”- David duChemin
The first step in taking a big risk is to accept the reality that success often means a series of set backs and failed attempts along the way. Without these attempts, you will not have the information needed to build the pieces you need to complete the puzzle of success.
Some people seem more fortunate than others; they make success look easy and instant. Comparing your journey to theirs is the quickest way to talk yourself into quitting or never trying. The problem with viewing the success of others is that it does not give you the whole story. It shows only the story of success and not the challenges they went through to get to where they are.
Fears tell us we are not good enough, we should wait until it is safe, that there is too much competition and we cannot succeed. Fear is the greatest roadblock to achieving your dreams. Instead of saying what if I run out of money, what if I lose everything I worked for, what if I fail – say “what if I get to the end of this journey and it is too late to live the life I dreamed about.”
The visualization of seeing yourself at the end of your journey, realizing it is too late, and you never took the risk to live the life you really wanted, is more powerful than the fear of taking the risk. Try it – think about all the fearful reasons that are stopping you from taking a risk. Now think of getting to the end of your life and realize you will NEVER have the opportunity to try creating the life you spent 20+ years dreaming about. Fear weighs in ounces compared with regret that weighs in tons.
This ride is one way. There are no round trips. There are no do overs.
Think about taking a risk in 2013. Need help getting started – here is a post I wrote last year on “Creating a Road Map”