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How many times have you watched an inspirational documentary or read a fantastic biography and thought “wow, I would love to do that?”
For many of us, that initial inspiration comes with a wave of disappointment and a second, more discouraging thought “but I don’t know how.”
This “I don’t know how” is the reason that so many people find themselves hiding from their ambitions over and over again.
We put off our ambitions to try new things, thinking that we will come back to that dream when we are older and actually know how to do it.
But what if we could stay in that initial feeling of inspiration and follow that dream, without that second voice coming in to tear us down?
In episode 225 of the More Than Corporate podcast, Amber Fuhriman talks about the techniques she uses to quiet that voice.
- Use what you know
- Embrace failure
- Reflect and move on
If you can follow these three guiding principles, you will be able to try those things you’ve always wanted to try and move toward who you want to become.
Use What You Know
When that little voice in your head says “but I don’t know how,” that is your mind asking for reassurance. The best way to reassure your mind is to tell yourself all of the things that you do know how to do.
For example, if all you’ve ever wanted to do is climb a 14,000 ft mountain, and that little voice is telling you “but I don’t know how,” you can tell that little voice all the things you can do. If you once trained to run a marathon, remind that voice of that accomplishment.
Now that you have quieted that voice, think of the ways you can use what you already know to reach the goal you have set.
Maybe you want to write a book, and your greatest accomplishment is writing your senior thesis in university. Think about the principles from your senior thesis that you could apply to writing a book.
Making Your Own Recipe
“Trying new things is like cooking – you take one idea from a recipe you’ve made before, change up a few ingredients, learn a few tips from the internet, and voila! You’re using what you know to do something totally new.”
Embrace Failure
Another step you can take to quiet that doubting voice is recognizing that you will fail. This unfortunate truth can be just as empowering as it is scary.
Think about all of the people who have inspired you. They all failed at least once before finding success. So if you try once or twice and don’t succeed, you’re not alone. You are joining the proud company of innovators who were not deterred by the fear of failure.
True failure is a failure to change. And if you’re trying something new, you will definitely change.
Failure Is Essential
“You have to, and I don’t often say ‘have to,’ be able to step out of your comfort zone and try the things you’ve never done before.”
Reflect And Move On
What do you do once you reach that point of failure? Do you stop, take a break, or try something else? No.
The time after a failure is incredibly valuable. If you can set aside your ego and learn from the mistakes you made in your first try, you will be able to bounce back and ensure that you don’t make those mistakes again.
If your first attempt is not a complete failure, but you know that you could do much better if you just started over again, don’t be afraid to set your first attempt aside and try again. Don’t fall prey to the sunk costs fallacy and believe that just because you have spent a lot of time on your first attempt that you shouldn’t try again.
After-action reports are your best friend in this situation. Reflect on your attempt and find out who you need to meet, what you need to do, and what you need to know to make it better next time.
Reaching Success
“Success isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. You need to get the resources and the knowledge to keep moving on that journey.”
https://morethancorporate.com/the-things-weve-never-tried/
What’s Next?
Remember, life is a collection of opportunities to try new things. Perhaps you did it, you climbed that mountain, wrote that book, or went vegan. Now what?
What is your next dream?
When it comes to finding success, it is all about having that constant curiosity that pushes you to look around the bend.
After you have tried something new, it’s time to wonder, what else could I do to help me grow?
Let’s Try Together
At Success Development Solutions, we are creating a community of people who are passionate about trying new things, reaching out, and seeing who they can be.
Ready To Design Your Life For Success?
If you are interested in connecting with Amber, send an email to amber@amberfuhriman.com.
Connect with other incredible people looking to break out of the corporate mindset by joining the Success Center Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/morethancorporate/
Schedule a connection call with Amber: https://successdevelopmentsolutions.com/connectioncall/