Look At Me, No Hands!
Tomesia 0 Comments Brand Management Brand Strategy Branding Personal Branding Planning
If given the opportunity to start over, what would you do differently with your life? Dr. Tony Campolo, a world renowned sociologist, polled a group of 95 year olds asking “If you could go back and live your life differently, what would you change?”. The overwhelming response was “I would have risked more”.
This should be clear advice to those of us under ninety-five that we should take more risks when presented the opportunity. Unfortunately, most people are afraid to take risks because of their fear of failure. In reality, “playing it safe” is no more secure than actually taking the risk.
Taking a risk involves your ability to hone in on your own intuition. That intuition, or gut feeling is often times a signal that your risk just might successfully pay off. More often than not, we tend to not act on our intuitions and rely only on proven data stored in our memory banks to base our actions on. when we consistently ignore our intuitions they have a tendency to abandon us and leave us living a life that is not exciting and boring.
Remember when you were young and risk taking was a part of your daily routine? We would ride our bikes with “no hands”, jump off of swings in mid air. As we got older and wiser, we became more cautious. That caution then turned to fear. Fear turned to paralysis. I know I have at some point been afraid to act on some things or even ask for some things due to the fear of rejection. I’ve been held back by the fear of being wrong, falling short of my goals, or getting hurt in the process.
At some point in our lives we have made the decision that it’s best to avoid risk and blend in with everyone else. We tend to hide the parts of our character that are unique to us and instead only showcase the traits we deem to be acceptable by others.
This is a call to get out and get uncomfortable. Remove yourself from the zone of “fitting in”. Make it a point to insert YOU into your business. Certainly being your true self requires risk, but this is the exact way you differentiate yourself from others in your market and attract only your ideal clients.
Today’s take action tip:
- Ask yourself what opportunities have I been afraid to take action on. Now as the saying goes, “feel the fear and do it anyway”.
- Take a look outside your business, family and immediate circle of friends and begin to explore new people and experiences. New exposure leads to new opportunities. Exposure breeds creativity.
- Start taking risks again. Invest in yourself by investing in your own education. This can be through reading, attending conferences or training seminars, purchasing information products, hiring a coach, etc.
The key to this process is to make calculated risks by having a solid action plan in place. Then your risk taking will lead to new opportunities.
You will of course have some failed attempts, but you will also have some successful attempts. In the end, you will have at least stretched and grown in the process and the rewards will certainly outweigh the risks.
