Fear Is A Liar. Ignore It.

Fear is a funny thing.  It can grip you from the highest of highs and slam you back down to earth with a viscous smack.  Plenty of things can cause it, but you shouldn’t always listen to it.  Sometimes its best to just ignore it.

Knowing that, even believing it, doesn’t make it easy.  If you’re making yourself vulnerable, and actually trying at something, it’s so easy to be brought into a place of fear.

True, guttural fear.

I’m sure there’s some logical reason for it.  Maybe it’s wired deep into our lizard brain where if something changes, we’re no longer safe.  And if our primordial self doesn’t feel safe and comfortable, we assume we’re about to die and run as fast as we can to safety, or stand and fight our possible demons.

Maybe that’s why whenever something big changes people run as fast as they can to get back into their comfort zone…

Like an unexpected change at work.  Maybe you were part of a re-org and got a new boss.  Perhaps your company is forced to pivot into a new area.  Or, maybe you even got fired.

All of those scenarios leave you wide open for opportunity.  You can turn a re-org, a pivot, a new boss and even getting fired into a positive experience.  It’s not always easy, and it’s never comfortable, but it’s absolutely possible.

The problem is that change can sometimes feel like failure.  And failure sucks.

The funny thing about failure is that it only happens if you try.    But if you never try, you’ll never fail.  You’ll also never truly succeed.  You’ll just float through life.

And if you never fail, you’ll never grow.

Seriously.

I was fired and turned it into something great.  Building and growing startups has always been my passion, and now I’m lucky enough to do it full time.

None of that would have been possible if I didn’t try and fail…

But when you fail, and you definitely will fail if you ever try at something, take a good look at your failure.

Better yet, take a good, hard look at your future.  What are you afraid to do?

Get a new job?

Go talk to that coworker you like?

Take a year off to travel?

Build that app you’ve been brainstorming about?

Settle down and have a kid or two?

You’ve taken a first step and acknowledged the thing you want, but are afraid to do.  The next step is to acknowledge that fear. Don’t ignore it, just acknowledge it.

Then, say “fuck off” and do it anyway.

What’s the worst thing that can happen?

Maybe you’ll fail.  Maybe you’ll look stupid for a little bit.  Maybe you’ll lose a few bucks in your new venture.  Maybe you’ll get rejected.  Maybe you’ll make your life more difficult for a little bit.

There can be greatness at the end of that. 

Maybe, if you push hard enough, you’ll succeed.  Maybe you’ll get exactly what you’ve always wanted.  Maybe you’ll actually enjoy your life, as opposed to hustling through it day in and day out.

What’s worse:  Some discomfort, or a life of stagnation?