One of the best ways to know if you’re on the right path is that you’re freaking out! Doing something we don’t really care about doesn’t give us the same emotional reaction than if we’re going after something that we really want, or something that’s really important to us.
I was chatting with someone the other day and she mentioned something she’d really wanted to do. She then told me the opportunity to do it had presented itself, and instead of going for it she chickened out! She said it was just too scary. My advice to her was that you have to do it. If it scares you that much, you must be on the right path.
When an opportunity presents itself to you, around something you desperately want to do, you have to go after it.
Quite often when I’m going through the discovery phase with clients and they start talking about their business without much emotion or energy, it doesn’t surprise me when they say they’re just not feeling great about it or getting the results they want.
They’re not feeling it because they’re not taking the risk of going after something that scares (and excites) them.
If it doesn’t frighten you a little bit, then you don’t care about it enough.
Feeling fear around an idea is a great guidepost and sign that you’re on the right track. When you’re going through the discovery phase for your business and trying to figure out what your bigger vision is, and what you’re actually here to do, pay attention to the visceral reaction that you get. Pay attention to how that makes you feel.
If the idea makes your heart sing and scares the pants off you at the same time, it’s an idea worth pursuing.
Staying comfortable is not going to get you where you want to go. Although you do get used to the feeling of fear, it never goes away. It’s so important not to chicken out when an opportunity presents itself and to go after what’s really important to you.
Quite often when I’ve taken a big leap in my business, I’ve said “yes” to something before I thought I was truly ready.
Even when the voice inside me said “Are you kidding, you’re not ready for that!”, I did it anyway. And it was fine. I survived and I thrived. Now when I say yes to something and it really frightens me, I know I’m getting close to that bigger vision that I’m trying to create.
This is not the time to be blasé about what you’re creating. If you’re not scaring yourself a little, then you’re not pushing yourself hard enough; you’re not stretching yourself to where your true potential lies.
Don’t chicken out! Making friends with this fear that comes up when you go after what you really want is a huge part of the process. Say “YES” even when you think you’re not ready.
