A healthy dose of fear.

A healthy dose of fear.

I have something to admit. Professionally, I operate in a constant state of fear.

Fear, that my past achievements are not indicative of my future success.

That my knowledge will become less relevant; my skills, obsolete; my network disinterested.

That the work will dry up and that the money will stop flowing.

I used to let that fear control me - avoiding existential disaster, no matter how rational, became a full-time job in my twenties.

It influenced my decisions, my relationships. It colonized my mind and soaked up my time.

And then, after one particularly harmful, two month stretch of late-night office hours, excessive Uber Eats and other debauchery, I decided to flip the script.

Fear could be a spectrum.

At one end, it depletes our confidence, it builds anxiety, it hinders our ability to make decisions and it contributes to poor habits.

At the other, it’s a driver, it keeps us diligent, it grounds us in reality. It allows us to make calculated decisions, to more accurately judge others and judge ourselves. It perpetuates successful habits.

Today, my fears motivate me.

I cultivate them to avoid complacency.

I embrace them to benchmark my own abilities and to bring perspective to my decision making.

I acknowledge them to avoid unhealthy assumptions in others.

If taking risks is a defining characteristic of entrepreneurs, it means that some degree of fear is part of the job description.

It’s how we choose to look at our fear that defines our ability to persevere. ?

Perhaps it is one of the secret ingredients to our longevity.

Oliver Maynard-Langedijk

National Business Development. Partnerships. Funding. Social Impact. Youth Empowerment. Consulting. Business Development. Grants.

3 年

??

回复

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Zack Leighton的更多文章

  • From trading goats to trading Bitcoin

    From trading goats to trading Bitcoin

    Money was invented to allow us to move value across time and space. In our earliest versions of society, money gave us…

    2 条评论
  • What do Santa Clause and Beeple have in common?

    What do Santa Clause and Beeple have in common?

    There is a difference between lying and “making true”. Telling your child that Santa Clause exists is not lying.

    2 条评论
  • The NFT Scramble

    The NFT Scramble

    Scramble, as in a mad dash, often up a slippery slope. Scramble, as in a disordered mixture of things.

  • How the future of music streaming might look.

    How the future of music streaming might look.

    Music streaming providers have been under fire for a decade due to low streaming rates, inequity among master owners…

  • Will the twenties roar again?

    Will the twenties roar again?

    Sometimes it’s all too evident that the future flows from current trend. On Friday, a Time Magazine article discussed…

  • Is there a clock ticking on TikTok artists?

    Is there a clock ticking on TikTok artists?

    TikTok was the driving force behind some of the world’s biggest break out musical hits in 2020. Songs that not only…

    1 条评论
  • Spinal Tap, Napolean Dynamite and Why You’re Most Likely to Lose.

    Spinal Tap, Napolean Dynamite and Why You’re Most Likely to Lose.

    According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Rob Reiner has only received $179 of the merchandise and soundtrack revenues from…

    2 条评论
  • Schitt’s Creek has proven that Canada is hilarious. It’s time we support our comedians.

    Schitt’s Creek has proven that Canada is hilarious. It’s time we support our comedians.

    If you haven’t yet fallen in love with Schitt’s Creek, the Emmy Awards just gave you nine more reasons to do so. This…

    1 条评论
  • Probability in a Pandemic

    Probability in a Pandemic

    When the outcomes of a decision are unclear, we must deal in probability. Intuitive entrepreneurs are skilled at…

  • Intuitive Entrepreneurs

    Intuitive Entrepreneurs

    Entrepreneurs have a defining capacity to make intuitive decisions in the face of uncertainty. I’ve talked before about…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了