Change is constant and when working in marketing and communications the reactive nature of the role meant I was constantly dealing with change, uncertainty and adjusting priorities often on an hourly basis.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable is a phrase I used a lot with my team and leaders as we navigated the internal and external demand. Some we could influence and control, many not so!
In coaching, nearly every person I work with needs to face an underlying fear and lean into uncertainty to move forward and get unstuck.
When it rears its head, individuals look to work through how to calm themselves, lean in and work through their uncertainty or face a fear to move through it, to where they want to be.
Uncertainty, fear and overwhelm come up as the:
Fear of failing
Fear of looking stupid
Fear of not having the answer
Fear of not being enough
Some of the ways to reframe and lean into those fears are:
What is the flipside of your fear? Write down the best version of it and see what comes up for you.
What is the worst thing that could happen if you did look stupid? What can you learn?
How about seeing that fail stands for:
first
attempt
in
learning
Or seeing that fear stands for:
false
evidence
appearing
real
OR
As Maria Forleo’s advice in her best-selling book Everything is Figureoutable suggests:
face
everything
and
rise
OR another common view is:
f***
everything
and
run.
What small step can you take to move yourself into action and lean into that fear?
According to neuroscience the way to overcome fear is to take action.
Our actions are the direct result of our commitment, or not. So commit. Take action. Else it won’t happen. Through commitment we allow ourselves to focus on the required action – in doing this, all fear, uncertainty and doubt fade away, and we step into new zones that once felt uncomfortable.
The only thing that holds you back is the lack of commitment. Commit, and everything else will follow. Confidence, action, success.
Go make it happen!
