Chicken and Egg

A few weeks ago, I shared a view point about how my career has morphed over time - shifting from a the liner to the non linear. A journey that taps into the whole kit and caboodle of my capabilities and, in turn, means I’m more inspired and connected to my work.?

The question I posed was - what’s the catalyst for taking a more undefined path, or the barrier to not? Confidence, curiosity, reputation or plain old serendipity?

Seems the answer is it isn’t one thing.

The more you try and work out which came first, hello Mr Chicken and Mrs Egg, the more you realise it’s a Venn diagram of epic proportions.?

But I’m going to try and start somewhere so I asked myself 'What is it that makes us all lean into something new?'.

A slither of hope and excited anticipation that something good will happen as a result I suspect. But it’s not guaranteed it will.

No matter how good it could be, or how sure we are in our ability not to mess it up, we can’t predict with certainty it’ll line up with our beliefs, or that of those around us.

So, for me, the first thing that has to be in place to dip into uncertainty is Courage.

Courage to experience something new and, just maybe, accept the potential we'll fail. We have to have confidence in our ability of ‘doing’ the thing to consider a move, but without courage those nagging voices of fear and the soothing calls of your comfort zone will win out and you'll never make a leap on your own terms.

Now, I might have given it away but, in the contest in my head for what had the biggest influence, hot on the heels of Courage is Confidence and I’ll tackle that one next time.?