Complete Facing (and Fearing) #trust30 article

Facing (and Fearing) by Dan Andrews

Greatness appeals to the future. If I can be firm enough to-day to do right, and scorn eyes, I must have done so much right before as to defend me now. Be it how it will, do right now. Always scorn appearances, and you always may. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Trusting intuition and making decisions based on it is the most important activity of the creative artist and entrepreneur. If you are facing (and fearing) a difficult life decision, ask yourself these three questions:
1) “What are the costs of inaction?” I find it can be helpful to fight fear with fear. Fears of acting are easily and immediately articulated by our “lizard brains” (thanks Seth) e.g. what if I fail? what if I look stupid? If you systematically and clearly list the main costs of inaction, they will generally overshadow your immediate fears.
2) “What kind of person do I want to be?” I’ve found this question to be extremely useful. I admire people who act bravely and decisively. I know the only way to join their ranks is to face decisions that scare me. By seeing my actions as a path to becoming something I admire, I am more likely to act and make the tough calls.
3) “In the event of failure, could I generate an alterative positive outcome?” Imagine yourself failing to an extreme. What could you learn or do in that situation to make it a positive experience? We are generally so committed to the results we seek at the outset of a task or project that we forget about all the incredible value and experience that comes from engaging the world proactively, learning, and improving our circumstances as we go along.
(Author: Dan Andrews)

 Just finished writing an article about my fears, and guess what comes up?  A solution :)

So let me take one fear I have with regards to growing my fledgling coaching practice.  I want to get out there and run free educational workshops to introduce locals to the idea of coaching, distinguish it from counseling, pass on some useful information, hopefully pick up some clients, but mainly help people get unstuck and bring passion back to their lives.

My fear?  That I go out there and either nobody shows up, ever, or that they come and I somehow make them not like me or coaching and I kill my opportunity to ever have them as clients.  I'm in a small town, so I believe every prospect/lead is important.

So let me run through the steps listed above.

1)  Systematically and clearly list the main costs of inaction, they will generally overshadow your immediate fears.

Consequences of inaction:

• I never get to share my ideas with anyone (i.e. so not much changes in my life)
• My business will grow slowly: one person at a time.
• Maybe someone out there is waiting for ME to come find and help them but they are scared... what if their life is unfulfilled because they never met me?
• Missed opportunity -- who knows what else I'm missing but not 'getting out there'?
• I will have to go back to 'being an Engineer', which has become emotionally bankrupt for me.

2) “What kind of person do I want to be?”

I've written this and re-written this, but I will write it again:

I am making a positive impact on other people and their lives.  I contribute to the betterment of my community and my world.  I spend my time in the realm of possibility and serve as a beacon for others who have lost their way.

 I want to be a resource to others, a beacon, to help guide them through to rediscover their greatness.  I want to demonstrate to my friends, family, community, country and world that you can actually live your dreams,  that money does not have to be a barrier to life, that nobody has to do work they hate just to survive, and that counseling, coaching, nutrition and physical training can be made available and accessible to all.

3)  “In the event of failure, could I generate an alternative positive outcome?”

Extreme failure would be: not making a dime as a coach.  What could be a positive outcome?  I guess I could use my failed experience as an example for other coaches -- this would be the 'what not to do' example. :)  I could also then use it as an educational opportunity -- so if what I did didn't work, what do I need to learn: what do I need to be, do, have, (in that order) to make a coaching practice work?

Yeah, thanks Dan, that was helpful :)

Read more of my #trust30 articles as I come to an end of the 30 day challenge -- 30 days, 30 articles. woo-hoo!