We use some pretty interesting language to describe how we feel about change in life, especially when it seems like a huge change. English novelist, among other things, David Lawrence wrote:
Life is a travelling to the edge of knowledge, then a leap taken. — D. H. Lawrence
Woah. That’s pretty dramatic, no? It almost sounds like instead of a wild adventure of a lifetime Lawrence makes it sound like we have no idea what might be next. Yet, many of us often use imagery like this to communicate how scared we are to take a chance at something different. Still not convinced? Can’t blame you, really. After all, Lawrence isn’t exactly a household staple of a name. How about a little Thoreau, then?
We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success. — Henry David Thoreau
I like Thoreau. It’s hard not to feel happy at the idea that we walk consciously toward something, even if he thought we are only partly consciousness when designing our lives and how we want to live. But, he still refers to taking a chance as a mystery when it’s not some giant black box without any idea to know what’s inside. Maybe back in his day, but now we have books and internet which have all the information at our fingertips. Sometimes to a detrimental effect, actually.
That’s a shout out to all my fellow knowledge hoarders who never get around to reading those 15 new email workshops that you thought you really wanted to sign up for.
With all of this information that’s literally being handed to us, we really don’t have a reason to claim that we don’t know what’s beyond that divide. There are plenty of business coaches and advisors out there willing to hand you the information when you sign up for their newsletter or visit their blogs. If that’s not enough, you can even pay for them to take your hand and walk you through it. So, a blind step off the edge into the dark?
Not even close.
Let’s try a different argument, and this one comes from James Neil Hollingworth’s aphorism written under the pen name of Ambrose Redmoon:
“Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” – Ambrose Redmoon
Now, that’s more like it. Being an entrepreneur is scary shit. I spend nights awake wondering how I’m going to pull off the miracle of being heard through all the noise on the internet without taking someone’s course that they charge $500 for. Not that I’d ever want to follow someone’s prescribed pattern, anyway. I want Insanitek to be different, not be part of the masses. I want to create our way.
And being authentic to myself while building a company is even more terrifying. You will find this out as you build yours and struggle to find your voice, heart, and authenticity in everything you do. But, I think a concept Jeff Goins wrote about in the Art of Work. He talked about how it’s more of a bridge that we build, one plank at a time and in a direction we wish to go, than a sudden leap into the unknown. You can even sense the viseral differences by looking at the two images on this post. The darkness shows nothing, no hope, no adventure. The bridge, well, keep walking to find out what’s up ahead.
This bridge building is a complicated process though. As kids we have certain passions, some of them practical some not so practical. Then, we get older and start thinking about careers and possibilities of the future. Then, we start thinking about how to pay the bills, not necessarily the passion. It’s not like we start and think, “I’m here. I want to be over there in this camp of people doing this.” That’s not how life works, and we know it. Something happens along the way and we grab on to opportunities as they come, eventually getting sidetracked.
But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t be more conscientious about our wants and desires at any given time, no matter what the age or what we just so happen to be doing.
What you look to do now is pivot. You’re wherever you are in life. Where do you want to be? How do you get there?
The key is to make a judgement that something is more important than the fear that keeps you rooted to the spot you are now. Then, the action is to find a way to build the bridge to get you from one shore to another.
I’d love to hear from you. Where are you now? Where are you trying to get to? How are you going get there? Let’s help each other out on this one, shout it out in the comments.
