31 May Taking Risks – Jumping into the Great Unknown

They say to be an entrepreneur you need to be brave. When you’re brave you can look fear in the face and tell it to take a hike. Bravery is also important because I’m sure that you’ve heard the chances of failure are high and even likely. If you could see into the future and know that you would fail for sure, you would never do it. That’s also why sometimes it helps to be a little naïve. To grow your business you have to take risks on a regular basis. It can be a lot of pressure. Having to make new decisions all day long that will affect the future can be hard. I’m not going to say that the fear isn’t real and everyone should just go for it. I will say that when it comes to starting a business we put a lot on the outcome of taking a risk. The truth is that we take risks every day anyway without putting too much pressure on it. The first time you do anything new, you’re taking a risk. It’s also true that if you practice what you’re doing, you lessen the feeling of fear around it. Sometimes there’s no chance to practice and you have to move fast. You could spin-out wondering whether you’re ready or not. Or you can start taking risks and jumping into the great unknown to find out for sure.

Someone said when you’re afraid of something, truly afraid, you never actually let go of the fear. There’s no point where it’s just gone forever. Even if there is no proof at all that something bad will happen, your body reacts to a memory or a possibility. Fear waits in the shadows for the next test, ready to protect you. Fear can be reasonable.  Fear can also be unreasonable when you’re scared before you’ve even started trying. It doesn’t matter. Your body doesn’t know the difference. How about speaking in front of a crowd? It’s one of the most common fears. There’s always a moment where you’re nervous right before you do it again. Even after you do it many times in a row your brain still says maybe this time is the time that something bad happens. Your heart rate increases and your palms get sweaty. You can try and talk yourself down. You can even say out loud and confident that you aren’t nervous, but your body behaves differently. It’s like your body didn’t get the e-mail that you got this.

Whenever you get on a plane you’re taking a risk. You can do the math and you know that it’s safer to fly than to drive, but you still feel nervous. You’re checking out the pilot, the flight attendants. Are they having a good day? Everybody appears to be smiling. So why is your heart beating faster? It’s only because there’s an unknown, right? The flight is going to be perfectly fine. You know that. You’re probably nervous because you’re not flying the plane. What do you do again if there is trouble? Things can be nerve-wracking when you’re not an expert or you haven’t prepared. I always get nervous when I don’t know where I’m going. Sometimes I feel nervous because I’m standing alone. Simply having support also changes the idea that you’re taking a risk.

For me and countless others, one-way to get past nervousness is to know why you’re doing it.  Knowing in your heart that you can’t rest until you build this thing will drive out the nervousness. Taking a risk suddenly won’t feel so scary. It makes sense right? The purpose is key. Ayah Bdeir, CEO of Little Bits says, “Start a company if you are obsessed about a problem and starting a company is the only way to solve it.” Your passion will get you through the jitters. Your anger against the status quo will distract you from the idea that you’re taking a risk.

If your WHY is big enough you can ignore what the negative voices are telling you. You can ignore what your body is telling you. Slow down there, heartbeat. Dry up, stress sweat. You have to build this. You’re going to be nervous. There’s no sense fighting it. Build a proto-type and practice as much as you can. Embrace the nervousness. Go ahead and be a little naïve. Build up your why, get mad and make change. The world is waiting. You got this. Start by taking a risk – Jump into the great unknown.