Yesterday was session one of Business Building Boot Camp. Everyone had “ah-has,” including me. My friend and SEO specialist Matthew Egan, @imagefreedom on Twitter, wrote about his revelations in his post “Hey Mr. Big Stuff.” Among other revelations, the rest of the business soldiers (aka participants) discovered they have a few things in common:
- Perfection paralysis -- wanting “it” to be perfect before taking action.
- Planning paralysis -- taking so much time to plan that we don’t do anything but plan. (If you are such a to-do list nut that you write things down that you’ve already done, just so you can cross it off -- you’ll find you’re in good company.)
- Low tolerance for risk -- otherwise known as fear of failure.
When we were discussing perfection paralysis, Dawn Cole, @lettergirl on Twitter and author of the blog Not Going Postal had the perfect prescription for it:
“Get off your butt and do something.”
Um…she’s right.
That’s the cure for perfection paralysis, planning paralysis and fear of failure. It doesn’t come from reading a bunch of books, although that’s helpful. It doesn’t come from talking about what you “one day” hope to accomplish. It comes from doing it.
If you’re happy where you are, then plan away, discuss possibilities with your friends and hide in your cave. You are not my ideal client.
If, however, you want more, if you’re not content with mediocrity, hear this: life is about figuring things out. You’re going to trip, make mistakes, feel uncomfortable and potentially look like an idiot. But eventually, over time you will become a master. Even this kid had to grow some serious callouses on his fingers (which by the way, takes years of pain and blood) before he could knock out this amazing acoustic version of Billy Jean.
PS -- one of the participants, Lisa Ramirez, said this about fear: “Instead of being afraid, I need to be afraid of fear because fear leads to failure and that’s not where I want to be.”
Photo Courtesy of The U.S. Army.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Another great post Alicia. Great motivating pep talk. Love the kid playing the guitar.
Hi Roger. I’m glad you found it to be motivating – some people didn’t.
What is interesting about fear is that it can also be a motivator once we recognize what the fear is all about. Sometimes fear is about the fear of success and the responsibility that comes with being successful and being seen as an expert Hmmmm…time for reflection.
I will raise both hands for the planning paralysis bit. Lists are a great form of procrastination.
Pattie – We often think that the fear of failure is the only fear. I’m so glad you pointed out that success can be scary to people. Thank you!!!
Jacki – Well I will raise my hand with you Jacki! It’s all about balance. Lack of planning can be debilitating and so can planning too much. Thank you for your comment and welcome to the Sanera family!