What goes through your mind as you stand on the edge of the bridge staring down into the churning, frothing river below just before you do your bungee jump? What about if you’re 10,000 feet up in the air and you’re next out of the door of the perfectly decent aeroplane? How about when you’re presented with an opportunity to stand up and talk in front of the meeting or the seminar at work?
“Move on life, before it moves on you!” That’s a message I was given by Andy Harrington just a few weeks ago at an event we were both attending. I was seeking advice on how to move forward, how to start to get the message out there and to start crating the life for Trish and I that I’ve long dreamed of.
And the thing is, everyone you listen to who started a business or made a success of their career or life just got stuck in. They didn’t try to see the entire path in front of them, but rather, they took a bit of a gamble and took action. In fact, most of them were sh** scared too!
So it’s perhaps time to stop thinking and start doing. Some of us whom Nigel Risner might put into the ‘Elephant’ category, (see: “It’s a Zoo Around Here“,) cripple ourselves with a bit of ‘analysis paralysis’. I know I do at times. We’d rather seek all the answers and figure out all the options, then evaluate the risks, find a few more excuses and then realise we’ve lost out because someone-else is there doing it – and it should have been you!
That’s what made the idea of this 30 day challenge such a tough challenge in the beginning. But you know, it didn’t take me long at all after the inception of the initial idea to get up of the lounger, head indoors and start drawing up a bit of a plan. And I was committed to it too!
Back at that event I spoke of earlier, Nigel was guest presenting. He was talking to a room of savvy business leaders and entrepreneurs about ‘taking lots of action’. It was an inspirational keynote. At one point, Nigel primes the audience that he wants (us) to shout out whatever we see on the next slide to appear on the screen.
Cue 70 people all eager and ready for the next slide. It appears. Stunned silence. no-one, and I mean NO-ONE uttered a sound. Before 10 seconds had passed and people had a chance to start calling out, Nigel jumped back in and carried on. One of the points he made was that when he does the exact same exercise to a room of school children they literally clamour to shout out their answers over everyone-else – and it’s immediate too!
Oh the beauty of youth, the innocence and naivety. What pleasure not to have such baggage, and ‘lessons learned’. As we grow older our corners get knocked off and we learn to feel at home in our ‘comfort zone’. We don’t like to stand out.
Well enough I say! Time for you to find your inner voice. Time for you to realise you were born to stand out. Time to take action.
Did I prod you just enough to join in the discussion and share your thoughts with me on Twitter? I hope so! Remember to use the hashtag: #CHA30DayChallenge
Thanks for stopping by and see you for more tomorrow friends!
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