Tag: success

Being brave enough to change

Posted on by philipdodson

Change is a painful thing for most of us and certainly by time you reach 48 like me, as in really ancient, it can be more painful to do. Especially, as the habit you are trying to change may well have been with you for 48 years.

However, I have learnt over the last 3-4 years that any change is possible, it is a matter of having the ‘why’ power to make it happen. I have changed a great deal in my life over the last 3-4 years and none of which beforehand I would have thought possible.

Almost all that we do on a daily basis is habitual, so most things we say, do, feel, think are formed out of habit. Yet we are born with not a single habit.

That is the good news, that apart from a very few seriously engrained habits from before we were 7 years old, all the habits can be changed. I’m not going to get into the neurological part of it, as you probably will have guessed, I am not remotely qualified to comment.

The only prohibitive thing is not the physical, it is our own mental mindset to this. You need to have a reason to change, you need to be inspired to change and once you have that inspiration, then change is just a matter of discipline and time.

However, without inspiration, then no amount of willpower will make it happen, as willpower is short-lived motivation. Inspiration gives you a ‘why’ power which is long lasting and many times more powerful.

However, there is one final piece of the jigsaw…..bravery, without that you will find it hard. This is simply because making big changes means being prepared to be vulnerable. To take off the vulnerability shields takes a great deal of bravery.

The results though far outweigh the initial leap into the unknown.

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..