Tag: fears

It’s time for something new

Posted on by philipdodson

I am starting to make some changes in my business and life. Changes that mean stepping out of the discomfort zone that I have been in.

It means putting myself in the ring, it means overcoming some fears and it means becoming vulnerable.

Every change is risky, however in today’s fast changing landscape, it is more risky to be ‘safe’ with your business, than it is to change it and be rebellious, to be different.

‘Playing safe’ is the new risky.

I’m already not ‘playing safe’, as I have been running my own businesses for 12 years. But I now want to take it further.

Inspired by many things around me, including reading many books, blogs etc, especially Simon Sinek’s outstanding book ‘Start with why’, I have decided to make the step into the ring, overcome some fears and put my ‘why’ into everything that I do, not just parts of my life, all of it.

I have been kind of doing this anyway (herein lies part of the problem, the ‘kind of’ bit). However, I have been a little sheepish about going the whole 9 yards. Mainly out of worry that it might effect my business, it might not sit well with all and I might lose some customers. I know that the ‘not doing’ is more risky and will lead to regret.

You start something and after a little while, the ‘why’ you do it gets a little bit clouded, a little lost and you can end up just focusing on what you do. Doesn’t mean that your business is a failure, but good enough just doesn’t cut it for me.

I realise now, that when I have put my views, my passion, my ‘why’, and inspired, it has massively helped my life. I am now more inspired than I have ever been.

So now is the time to step into the unknown and make the jump to do what this life of mine has lead me to. The journey has lead me to this point, all the knowledge, learning, experience of 48 years is at my disposal.

To be honest I have never liked the status quo, never liked the ‘established’ order, I have always been a rebel. I have blogged about this many times, about the need to change the old school world. I have also recently blogged about the need to not simply criticise what is there, but to actually start creating alternatives. That is why I already love coworking, as it is an alternative way of working. But the coworking is the ‘what’ I do and is not why I do what I do.

I am already taking the steps, along with others, to build an alternative, I am starting the New World Project and whatever small part I can play to create some alternatives to our current world is my driving force, to be part of helping to create change that is based on human kind. A world for the many not the few.

With my blog, I am going to share the journey going forward. I am going to be posting on the changes I am about to make, as I want others to be a part of it. I am going to be thinking out loud and sharing the journey. This is not a one person mission, this is the start of a change, a movement, a cause for a better world, however small or big it becomes.

The size of something does not matter, as worthiness is not defined by this, as I have learnt from reading & listening to Brene Brown, she’s right, we are all already worthy enough, good enough, no matter what we achieve.

If I inspire just one person to help, to join, to be part of making a difference, then that is progress towards a better world. The famous saying ‘a journey of a 1,000 miles starts with just one step’.

That’s it for today, I will be sharing more over the coming weeks plus still posting my blogs as normal. I am going to be taking my stuff over to my business website from next week, so you can catch up with my posts there.

#NewWorldProject

Fear of failure or is it something else

Posted on by philipdodson

Fear of failure is one of those excuses that we often use externally as a reason not to do something different or outstanding.

I actually think that it is deeper than that, it is an internal fear that we don’t admit to others.

I think that it is to do more with the fear of ridicule by peers, of feeling silly in front of friends/family/coworkers that often keeps us in our discomfort zone of the familiar.

It is that personal thing that effects our self-confidence, our egos, that holds us back more than the fear of it failing.

We often satisfied with good enough, instead of stepping into the ring and daring to be great. That way we avoid the fear of criticism or ridicule.

The good news, however, everyone else is facing that fear, so much so, that they are not that bothered with your idea, they are too busy stewing over what people might think of their ideas, should they decide to share them with the world.

It is best to completely ignore what others might think of your ideas. As they are your ideas and it is the real world of customers and their thoughts that matters, as to whether, that new product or service that you launch, will be a success.

Going further than that, there will be a niche for almost any idea and it is likely to be more than just a few of the 7 billion of us, that will think that your idea is great.

Some of the greatest, world changing ideas are often not liked by the masses initially. It is the small percent of early adopters that matter the most anyway, as they will love it and help spread it further for you.

So be brave, be bold, step out of the discomfort zone of the fear of ridicule and dare to try your ideas.

Think differently, work differently, live and be different..