Being scared is okay
I'm about to host a particular type of discovery meeting for only the second time ever. I've been through the training. I have co-workers and resources to support me through this time. I've done this type of call (generically) many times. But this is a new technology and a new process and it's brand-new to me.
I'm terrified.
But I've been in the ecosystem for 20+ years and in consulting for 3+ years, so it should be no big deal, right?
I wish it were that simple. As humans, we are naturally suspicious of change. Personal inertia is a real thing. We want to do the same things in the same way over and over again. So when we are asked to do something new, whether it's at work, for a hobby organization, or at home, it can scare the pants off of us.
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I've seen two phrases that encapsulate how we should deal with this. The military (especially Special Forces) have the wonderful phrase "Embrace the suck." You know something is not going to be fun, there's nothing you can do about it, so just deal with it. It's not always that simple, but this mindset of "I'll get through this" helps us dramatically in times of change. The other one I've seen lately on social media relates to personal or professional growth, and it says "Be brave enough to suck at something new." The first time we try something, we're most likely not going to be good at it. I'll skip all the statistics about how long it takes to develop a proficiency at something.
So here's the thing. I know all of this, and yet I'm still terrified. Terrified the client is going to ask a question I can't answer. Terrified that I'll get something wrong or say the wrong thing. Terrified that I won't be instantly as good at this new thing as I am at the thing I've taken 20 years to learn. Is it irrational? Yes and no.
What are you terrified of? What keeps you up at night wondering if you'll be able to do it? I encourage you to embrace the suck and be brave enough to fail at something new.
That's what I'm about to go do, and the next time it will be easier.
Community Builder
1 年You'll crush it.
Business and Technology Delivery Analyst
1 年Very insightful and completely true. I put in a military retirement request and three months later the pandemic hit. I was so scared that I almost withdrew my request. Then I thought hard and decided that despite the pandemic I’ve been through worse and I would get through any challenges the pandemic threw my way.