How do I get to a point where I’m doing it?

Did you know that when presented with a new task, the first thing my mind says is “Shoot!  I don't know how to do that.  I’m going to fail.”  In grad school, I would start off each class in a total panic, muttering to myself “I’m going to fail. This is it. I’m going to fail. I can’t do it.”  (FYI, I got straight A’s in grad school.)  Far from failing, I would say.  How do I get past that?  How do I get to a point where I’m doing it? What do I do if I discover I really can’t do it?  

There’s more than one way to get to a destination.  How would I, CoraLyn Turentine the person, use my skills, talents, knowledge, and resources to get to that destination?  I don’t know how other people might get to the destination, so I can’t worry about getting it wrong, or not meeting expectations. I simply have to present how I, personally and professionally, would get to that destination.

I just start. I literally, make a decision to just start with wherever I am and whatever I’ve got.  For example, I do not create websites.  If a client desperately needed a website, and working with a professional was not an option, so it HAD to be me to create it, what would my starting point be?  Well, I have access to Google, so I’d log on to google and search for something like “website maker” or “Programs like WordPress” and I would start teaching myself everything that I need to know about the technical side of creating a website. 

Another way that I might start is by going through my contacts and asking if I know anyone who would be willing to donate their time to create a starter website.  Or, I might do a bit of research to see if there are any local programs that provide free website services to start-up businesses.  The starting point wouldn’t matter. I would simply pick one and run with it.  If it doesn’t work out, I can always go back and explore one of the other options. But the important thing is to just pick a starting point and START.

I remind myself that I have things that I am good at and things that I am bad at, and that that is normal.  It’s okay to try something new and discover that I’m not good at it.  It doesn’t make me incompetent. It makes me human. If there is someone else who might be counting on me to accomplish the task, I let them know up front if the task is new for me. For example, I might say something like, “I’ve done something similar, but not quite in the way that you are speaking of. Let me take some time to think more about that and see what I can come up with.  If it sounds good or just needs some tweaks, great. If it doesn’t end up being a good fit, that’s fine too. Perhaps I’ll be able to refer you to someone else who is a better fit. Let’s just keep communication open and honest.”