The end of everything is NOT over the next hill
On the path towards success there are many twists, turns, hills, and valleys. What will happen when I post this? Will anyone reply when I send this message? Will this be the end of everything I’ve been working towards? The end of the world will never be on the other side of your decision to finally send that email, post to that blog, or call that lead.
We cannot always see beyond the next decision, action, or circumstance. Our survival instincts cause us to assume the worst and avoid all negative consequences. This makes sense out on the prairie, when your life quite literally depended on what might lurk over the next hill. Here’s a news flash: we aren’t on the prairie anymore. Emails aren’t going to hurt you, let alone kill you. Negative reviews don’t cause disease, and uninterested sales leeds aren’t going to be reaching through the phone to grab you.
We must learn to quiet the fears in our minds. The natural survival responses stemming from the “lizard brain”. What author Seth Godin refers to as “The Resistance”, the constant stream of excuses we so easily manufacture to avoid pressing on.
More people in history have followed a map than created one. We must be map makers, willing to step into the unknown beyond our primal fears. In the age of information we no longer have to risk our lives to venture into the unknown, to test new waters, or create on the edges of possibility. Now we are able to create with just the strokes of our fingers, with no true threats to our survival. We have it easy in 2016, and if you don’t believe that you may want to pick up a few history books.
Instead of festering over each and every “scary” decision you have to make, step back for a minute and consider the larger story. Know that first things first: You aren’t going to get hurt. Beyond poor monetary gambles, you won’t be losing anything. Even if you do lose something, it’s far more likely that what you learn in the process will be priceless.
The end is NOT on the other side of your decisions. Your FUTURE is there, and the only way to get there is to make that call, send that email, and publish that post. Don’t let your ancient “lizard brain” get the best of you, it only knows what it wants. Only you know what you want and how you wish to change the world, so go do it.
