Self doubt is one of fear's children.
It has the ability to enter my mind just when I thought I was certain.
When we bought our first business, there was blind optimism. I didn't think I could fail. And even if I could, there wasn't really much to lose. I had lost my job. We owed almost as much on the house as it was worth. There were no kids to feed. And there certainly wasn't any savings in the bank.
As I embark on a new adventure, blind optimism has been replaced with caution. Caution is important but it is related to self doubt. It can freeze an entrepreneur into analysis paralysis. Too much caution and fear starts to emerge its ugly head through the fruit of its womb: self doubt.
I now have things to lose. It shouldn't matter. But it does. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Fear has no place in moving new ventures forward. But it strikes the best of us.
I read recently that Elon Musk sold his shares in Paypal for $200 million only to reinvest all of it in three new ventures. He didn't have enough money to pay rent. I'm not sure where that fearlessness comes from. There had to be days he questioned his motives.
In listening to Kenny Rogers' Baseball Song last night, it occurred to me that what I'm faced with has nothing to do with fear. My biggest problem is a lack of optimism.
Am I optimistic that I can duplicate the successes I have had or do I think I was just lucky? Pessimism is waving caution into the hanger of my life. Caution is holding me back. Caution is casting self doubt.
The glass needs to be half full.
No comments:
Post a Comment