Holding on for dear life, he scrambled as high up my sister as he could, the buoyancy of the pool water practically suspending his small body up in the air.
Meanwhile, standing just a hands reach away from my nephew in the pool, I was asking for his trust... and his bravery... to float over my way and than back again to his mom.
Horror movies. Rollercoasters. Trying to cross the lakefront bike path on a summer day.
Of course there are thrilling, adventurous, and even some 'dare I do it' experiences in life.
But then there's the absolute terror of doing something new.
Something that you're not sure will work, could end very very badly, and has all likelihood of ending your ability to do anything successful ever again. (Or so it seems).
It's a feeling that makes you want to hunker down in bed and ignore the real world for the day.
Anxiety? I've Been There.
I've certainly been there and if you're like more business owners I know, you may not admit it in a crowd, but you've likely been there too.
Maybe already this morning sometime Am I doing this right? I must be missing something.
How come everyone seems to doing better than me?
Why hasn't this paid off yet?
There must be something wrong with me, my business, some trick I don't know about.
What if I let everyone down? What if everyone realizes?
Reality Is More Nuanced
Academically, I was taught in my finance classes and in my investment career that there is no return without risk.
And if the goal is to maximize return for the amount of risk we take on, we just figure out the risk tolerance and then the choice becomes clear.
But the reality is more nuanced, and far more emotional, than the theory.
You've committed your time and your reputation, especially in providing services that have to be done well to get one happy client that hopefully leads to the next and the next.
You put money on the line for ideas that may or may not pan out.
And you do things you've never done before and try to figure out all the ways in which something can and probably is going wrong, like patching up an airplane in freefall.
Growth is uncomfortable.
But as I told my nephew that day...
You can't be brave without also feeling fear.
(Anything else is just recklessness and thrill seeking).
Channel Your Inner Hero To Achieve Growth
Like my nephew, you too can channel your inner Captain America and take a step (or a quick float) into the beyond.
And like him, you have options that mean you don't have to go it alone.
You can use the business-version of floaties or get a guiding hand. There are experts, resources and systems that can support you.
You also deserve cheerleaders and coaching and pep talks to help bring out your best and make the brave, needle-moving decisions for your business.
And just in case you're wondering... getting help doesn't mean being less brave. It just means you're being smart about the risk.
You wouldn't drop a terrified kid into the deep end of the pool (or maybe you would and you can go find another blog to read. I won't be upset.). The rules of risk and return still apply. If there are better ways of doing the thing - like getting help - do it.
The fear might not ever go away. In fact, if you keep growing, you're going to get beyond one fear today only to face a new fear tomorrow.
Courage isn't going out of style anytime soon.
Just know that the business version of floaties is real. The right systems, the right support, and someone who's done it before can make the difference between white-knuckling it alone in the deep end and actually moving forward.
When you're ready for that, let's talk.
