Overcoming Uncertainty and Diving In

Eric Janssen , an old pal & constant inspiration (he writes some of the best content on Linkedin), shared this gem on his feelings about his upcoming parental leave. This line struck me:

“I’m 80% grateful, and 20% worried.

80% grateful… to be spending quality time with my four kids.

But 20%… worried that I’m going to ‘lose my edge;.”

First, it’s beautifully vulnerable and, despite being a fertile ground for personal growth, we don’t share a lot of our insecurities online. Thanks for sharing Eric.

Second, I've had my own insecurity about starting a new business and I hadn’t found a good way to put that into words.

“Worried I'm going to lose my edge”

There it is… that's precisely the battle I had with Lumo. I was scared to start a new business.?Sure, I had run a business in the past. Sure, we had some success. But what if it was just luck?! What if I fail and ruin my reputation?! What if I’ve lost my edge?

What if, what if, what if…

No matter how successful anyone has been in the past, we’re all still human. Filled with doubts, anxious about being good enough. And because we don’t talk about it, we don't know it's so common and we don't share ways to overcome it.

So I'd like to share 3 things that help me overcome uncertainty and dive into new opportunities:

1. A lesson from improv: “Yes AND…”?

I talked about this once at Tech TO. It’s our natural instinct to say “No” to uncertainty.?This probably kept us alive for millions of years surrounded by life-threatening risks.

But this instinct is also a death blow for taking the risks inherent in opportunities that deliver personal & professional growth.

Improv teaches you to let go of your need for control. It teaches us to trust what the scene offers and build on that. If your improv partner says you're a doctor, become a doctor! And go ahead and tell them they're pregnant! Oh, what a plot twist :)

I've seen this method unlock scenes that are funnier or more heart warming than anything that could be scripted. And I try to honor it in life.

That’s how I ended up moving to the country, planting an orchard. It's how I landed with a dry well.? It’s how I went looking for a better solution to manage my water. To realizing this was a problem that went far beyond myself…to hacking a prototype, to building a team... you get the picture.

Am I still afraid? Yup! But I try to see opportunity in what the universe is offering and say ‘yes and’.

2. Having a supportive partner is a huge help?

When I talked to my wife Molly about starting a new business, I expected her to be skeptical. We just had a baby! We have another on the way! What do you mean you want to do another startup!?

Haha, I couldn’t have been more wrong. All she said was, “I’ll support you no matter what.” In fact, when I was in my biggest moments of doubt, she pushed me to remember how happy I was in the fields, how I wouldn't stop talking about water challenges at dinner, and how excited I was building a product from scratch. Knowing she would be on the other side of Lumo, win or lose, made it easy to dive in. I’m so thankful for that.?

Lumo 's co-founder & CTO John Hinnegan is the same way. When he flew out in December to see if farms were as underserved as I was saying, I was unsure if I was right for a hardware startup. But John saw the opportunity, he saw my doubt, and reminded me of all the times we had stepped up to overcome new challenges in our previous ventures.

The point is, you don't have to battle uncertainty alone. Find a great partner, communicate your feelings, and they will help you overcoming your doubts when they inevitably bubble up.

3. The “WHY” matters most

Simon Sinek 's 'Start With Why' is the gift that keeps on giving.

When I thought about Lumo 'just as an irrigation system', I wasn’t so sure it was something I wanted to devote 10 years of my life to. Sure, I needed a better system. Sure, some farmers were telling me they did too. But was that a big enough problem to spend my life on?

That was how I felt when I thought about the “WHAT” behind Lumo…

Once I reframed Lumo about the “WHY”... everything changed. I became obsessed with the bigger problem the world is having with fresh water.?That the UN predicts that half the world could live with water scarcity by 2025.?That over 70% of freshwater use goes to irrigation…? and that we will need new infrastructure, policy, laws to meet the challenges of climate and population growth.

That’s when I saw that Lumo could play a much bigger role in a problem billions of people need solved. And that got me fired up to dive in.?

If you’re feeling doubtful about ‘what’ you'd be doing, try to step back and get clear on ‘why’ you’d be doing it. That bigger picture is far more motivating and can re-energize you and your team to dive right in.

Conclusion

So do I still have fears & doubts??Almost every day.? But I keep saying 'Yes and...' to the opportunities the universe brings me, I'm surrounding myself with great partners, and I know I have a WHY that motivates us to dive in.

What has worked for you to overcome uncertainty and dive into new opportunities?