“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what is next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark”. Agnes De Mille
How likely are you to take a “leap in the dark” in your life and your business? I like this quote because it creates a wonderful image for me of a graceful dancer leaping freely through space with no constraints and it reminds me how very difficult it can be for all of us to have this type of forward momentum in our own lives. Do we trust and believe in ourselves enough to make the changes we want in our lives or perhaps our career?
It is not necessary to have all the answers all the time.
Acknowledging this can be the first step. However, the most important
element of “leaping forward” is TRUST; trusting that it’s OK not to
have the answers, not to know what will happen. Taking a risk opens up
the door of possibilities.
How often are we blocked from moving forward because we want to
assure ourselves that what we are doing will have a guarantee of
success? We analyze our strategy over and over again until we feel
comfortable that the risk is minimal and we won’t make mistakes. More
often than not, we get so caught up in the analysis of the situation
that we never take the leap. We are paralyzed to assume any risk.
Let’s take an example of someone who wants to start their own
business but is wary of leaving the security of their present job. This
is a pretty common situation and one that I recently experienced
myself. The best approach is to make a plan, right? You put all the
pieces together for your analysis. What are my expenses and income
requirements? How much cash do I need to help support myself and build
my business? How do I plan on marketing my business? What will the ramp
up time be? All this is necessary to create a strategy to leave a job
and become an entrepreneur. You look at the numbers. You analyze and
analyze. However, you also come to the realization in time that there
are no guarantees to any plan, no matter how good the plan or how well
you execute. So there you are standing at the edge of the cliff again.
With all the planning in the world, you still need to take the leap.
You need to take the risk and trust that you have the talent and
ability to be successful.
Taking a risk is challenging and self-empowering. We are willing to
make mistakes in order to move forward. We are willing to let go of
perfectionism in order to make changes. We TRUST in ourselves enough to
take the leap.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars”. Les Brown
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