We call it taking a leap of faith. You may not be entirely ready for where you believe your life is leading you, but you follow your heart anyway. And in doing so, you resolve yourself to fixing it and figuring it out as you go along.
It can be scary to take that leap, particularly if you feel like you’re not ready or don’t have all of the answers yet. But, sometimes, there’s no time better than the present to follow your dreams, even if you feel like you don’t have them figured out quite yet.
That’s what we will be focusing on today: fixing while you’re flying. Because it’s okay to get started even if you don’t have all of the pieces together yet. It’s taking that first step that really counts and committing yourself to growth from that moment on.
Fixing Your Fear of the Unknown
Many times, what holds us back from that leap of faith is the fear that we don’t know what’s coming next. We want to be able to anticipate what will happen, whether good or bad, which is part of our human nature.
The fact of the matter is, if you’re waiting to see a clear picture before taking action, you may never feel ready.
In order to overcome, you have to dig deep and see where your fear of the unknown is truly stemming from. Accept your fear for what it is instead of trying to bury it or ignoring it. Recognize that it exists, while also coming to terms with the fact that you will probably never have all of the answers (the good news about that is, there are plenty of people around you that will have some answers, and they will be happy to help).
Another way to help curb your fears is by learning how to trust yourself. Think of all your past successes. And in this same vein, think of some of the times you experienced failure and what you learned from those times. How did you pick yourself back up again and keep going?
When dealing with something as stressful as taking a step into unknown territory, it’s essential to constantly be practicing mindfulness. Check in with yourself: are you happy? Scared? Stressed? Take time to acknowledge what you’re going through. It will help you continue forward, even after your motivation begins to wear thin.
Build a Growth Mindset
Maybe the you that exists in this moment can’t handle the demands of the future. But the you that exists tomorrow, and next week, and the week after can. That’s the idea of committing yourself to continuous growth.
Changing your mindset doesn’t happen overnight, but takes intentional practice over time. It begins by accepting that you aren’t perfect, you will make mistakes, but you won’t let those mistakes knock you down — at least not forever. Know that life and the experiences that come along with it are all a part of a process, and learn from everything you can.
See challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. Accept that the future is not in your control. And, as much as possible, stop seeking approval from outside sources and listening to the noise. The only person whose approval you truly need is your own, so focus on what’s possible for you and accept the rest as an opportunity for learning and improvement.
Trust the Process
Our dreams do not often follow a linear path. Even the best-laid plans are commonly taken back to the drawing board, because we just don’t have the answers. And that’s perfectly okay! That’s why it’s sometimes better to take the time that you would have spent carefully planning and putting it toward action, and then fixing what needs to be fixed along the way.
Be patient if things are taking longer than you had expected. Instead, focus on how far you’ve come and how much you’ve learned since you started. Take a moment to appreciate your accomplishments, instead of looking at your shortcomings. This can be hard, since we so often ruminate over things that aren’t going our way or are out of our control. But if you can shift your mindset into one of calm and trust, you’ll find your mental well-being in a better place overall, despite the stressful situation you find yourself in.
Allow Yourself to Fly
It’s so common that the only thing that’s holding us back from our dreams is us. You may think you’ve fully committed yourself to achieving your dreams when, in reality, you’re still clinging to your old way of doing things because it’s familiar.
Using the techniques above, learn to let yourself go freely and fully — you can’t fly with one foot still on the ground, after all. Accept the things that are out of your control and know that you’ll go about fixing them as they arise. Also, remember that there are plenty of people around who can help you, whether you realize it or not.
In Summary
You are not in this alone. Even when the stress and fear seems like it’s crushing you, there’s always someone who can help you bear the weight. This might be a friend, colleague, or family member. Whoever comes to mind, know that it’s always okay to ask for help.
And if the person that came to mind for you happened to be a business coach, then I’d be more than happy to help you achieve your goals. We’ll work together to build an action plan that works for you and where you are right now in order to achieve growth. Get in touch today.