Staying afraid, and doing it anyway
Years and years ago, I read a quote somewhere. It instantly made sense to me, not that I was ready to follow its advice.
It’s attributed to Carrie Fisher. Here’s the full thing:
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
When I first heard it, I remember being in a cushy job that I liked, that offered the variety I craved, some epic (still) friends and travel. It was also a dead end gig, where I couldn’t go any further, instead I could go around in circles doing similar types of work for years and years and only getting more frustrated as time went on.
I ignored Princess Leia and stuck to the job.
6 months later…
…I was desperately looking for a coach that would shake me out of this feeling I had, a feeling of sleepwalking into a sad place where all my ambition was gone. Sounds bleak, but I needed it. Laura, the coach I settled on, didn’t humour any of my whining and excuses. Instead she set me on a path that made buy a property within a month and get a big scary (in a good way) job 6 months later.
I was reminded about all this while catching up with someone I haven’t seen in 7 years. Back then, I also felt that grating feeling of comfort and I left the place he’s now been at for 11 years. He’s looking to make a move, he has been for a year.
Hearing all the adventures I’ve been on since, he said to me:
“Well done for putting yourself out there, that’s scary, it must have taken a lot of courage.”
Honestly, I didn’t feel brave making the moves I made, I just followed my passion. I tuned into that feeling of safety, and when it became too oppressive I’d just go find myself an adventure somewhere else.
Looking back at my career, I’ve learned to tell my story in a way that makes sense in retrospect. Trust me when I tell you: it didn’t make a whole lot of sense at the time, but I still did it.
I did it scared, but I did it anyway.
Check in with yourself:
How comfortable are you feeling right now on a scale of 1-10?
Is it good comfort (the intentional type) or bad comfort (the simmering-frustration-mixed-with-some-coasting type)?
Only you know the answer. And only you know if you’re happy with that level of comfort or if you’re craving a big change.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally cool to coast sometimes. To take it easy and focus on personal stuff. To not let work get in the way of life. To stop worrying about how things might turn up and just enjoy the here and now.
But that sense of ease can easily slip into frustration, resentment, and self doubts instead. Catch it before it gets too heavy, you’ll find it easier to get back on track.
Ready for your next move? Let’s chat
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