I was at the gym this morning on the machine with the stairs that never end. I was determined to work off the hamburger, fries, chocolate shake and overfilled Yogurtology cup from the day before.
While I was panting, sweating and thinking about how long it that it takes to burn 300 calories, I looked up at the TV to see an interview with Rob Lowe.
The host wanted to know his secret for reinventing himself. Rob said, “You can’t be stopped by fear”.
Seems so simple. Don’t let fear stop you.
But many times we don’t even know that it’s fear that is stopping us. We have rational reasons why we are not taking the first step.
Often that reason is confusion or lack of clarity.
But wait — shouldn’t you wait until you are crystal clear before moving forward?
Sounds like a great idea, but what if you are never 100% clear? Then you never move forward.
Sometimes you have to take the first step when everything doesn’t look perfect. Do the research, create the plan and then start taking action. The steps will reveal themselves as you go along.
If you stand still, you will never get anywhere.
Sometimes we are scared of the hard work it will take to make our goals happen. We are comfortable. Life isn’t all that bad, so why take on something so big?
Nothing great is ever accomplished without hard work. But many times the work attached to our dream scares us.
Ask yourself, “Will I regret it later that I did not take the steps to make this dream happen?” Why do I want this? Is my “Why” big enough to motivate me to do the work to get it?”
Another fear is that we will make the wrong decision or go in the wrong direction.
Never be afraid to fail. Action opens doors. Sometimes it may be the wrong door, but you will soon figure it out and change course with a lesson in hand.
I recently opened the wrong door and learned a $12,000 lesson in my business. Yes, it hurt. Yes, I had regret.
But I had to pat myself on the back for taking that risk. I did not allow fear to stop me. It seemed like the right door at the time and I bravely opened it.
I know that experience will be a valuable part of my future even though I can’t see it now. (Right now, I just see hundred dollar bills with little wings flying away).
Since I made that decision, my roadmap has become even clearer. But I would never had access to that clarity had I not opened that door and invested that money.
Every step has a purpose. Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. But you will never progress unless you keep taking the steps.
Failure is not a stop sign. It is a road sign to direct you on your path. Use the failures to guide you to your destination.
I wish life came with an instruction manual. It would be so easy. When we had a question about the future, we could just open the book and follow the steps.
But life is not set up that way. We have to take the first step without seeing the whole staircase.
We need to build our faith muscle.
Faith helps us to have peace in the midst of chaos. It helps us to deal with the unknown. It helps us to overcome fear.
It may be time in your own life to take that first step – to stop procrastinating, get out of your own way and start making things happen.
To move forward, you have to pick one – Fear or Faith.
Then step into your courageous self and start walking toward your destiny!
