Do the thing that scares you most
Fear can be a complicated emotion to overcome. All of the successful people that you see are managing fear. No one is exempt. The difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn't is often how they manage fear. Some use fear as fuel, while others allow fear to be the anchor that keeps them stuck in the same place. If you have a dream for yourself, whether career related or not, get started. Manage your fear along the way, but don't let it hold you back any longer. Every minute you spend today working toward your dream, is a minute invested in your future success.
Where to start? Focus on the ultimate goal. Knowing what you are working toward and where you are headed is a critical step in realizing your dream. Vision boards have been useful along my journey, but your approach to planning your future may be different. Either way, be clear about your vision. What does it look like? Who is involved? Where in the world does it exist? The more details the better. Next, get to work on the incremental steps it will take to build the dream. You do not have to take a leap. You can start with one small step. Each step will get you closer to the goal. Set small goals along the way and continue to work toward them. Give yourself deadlines and commit to execution. Prioritize the things that scare you most, because by accomplishing those you will be energized to tackle the tasks that don't seem as scary.
Take the necessary steps to achieve the vision. As you create your vision and roadmap for the journey, it's important to be clear on the steps that will be necessary for achievement. These steps can include simple tasks like completing paperwork and more daunting tasks like changing your behaviors. Make a list of the necessary steps and continue to add to that list as you identify additional requirements. No one said the journey would be easy, but with your commitment it is certainly achievable. The most common obstacle to success is our own mindset and related behaviors. If you have limiting beliefs that you are not actively challenging, then know that they are hindering your progress. If you have people in your life that are constantly casting their fears upon you, then believe that you are internalizing their perspective. What are you going to do about it? Start with outlining the steps needed to affect change.
Don't avoid hard work. Don't neglect rest. Both are equally important. As you begin to challenge your fears and change your behaviors, you will undoubtedly be exhausted. You will want to slow the pace or even give up, don't! Exhaustion means that you are doing the work and making progress. In order to sustain your progress it's important to prioritize rest. Take care of yourself, both mentally and physically. Neglecting your well-being does not serve you. It's critical to take care of yourself. What good is it to arrive at the threshold of our dream realized, only to be too ill to enjoy it? Your health is a critical element of your success. There are no shortcuts to wellness, you will have to sweat and cry along the way. Expect and embrace it, the sooner you do, the further along you will be.
It's always a lesson and never a failure. As you make progress, there will be moments where it feels like you cannot catch a break. Nothing is working in your favor and you feel like you are failing. Start with shifting your mindset and remember that it's never a failure, it's always a lesson. To feel that you have failed at something, means that you gave it a try and trying is effort that is never wasted. Trying means that you are learning new ways to get things done. Continue to put in the effort and never forget your lessons along the way.Fear can be a complicated emotion to overcome. All of the successful people that you see are managing fear. No one is exempt. The difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn't is often how they manage fear. Some use fear as fuel, while others allow fear to be the anchor that keeps them stuck in the same place. If you have a dream for yourself, whether career related or not, get started. Manage your fear along the way, but don't let it hold you back any longer. Every minute you spend today working toward your dream, is a minute invested in your future success.
Doing the thing that scares you most is a great place to start. It teaches you that you are capable of overcoming fear and sets you on the path to success. I will forever be an avid reader and years ago I read Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers. It's one of the books that I credit for a major shift in my perspective. I highly recommend reading it. It may just change your life.
*Written on a sunny Saturday morning in September 2021. The smell of waffles (cooked by a teenager) in the air.