We can get lost in our past.
Getting into a cold pool is easiest when you jump in, head first. Just jump in. But when you try dipping your toes first, building up your confidence and slowly going in, deeper and deeper, gradually submerging yourself in the cold water, it’s intrinsically more difficult. Overthinking can build doubt and become a crippling adversary to success— or even completion of a task. At the base level, two outcomes will present themselves after you go for it:
- Success. Terrific! Take a bow and enjoy the moment, but add it to your resume and accomplish something else, rather than relishing in it forever.
- Failure. Let’s call it a lesson. You’ve learned how not to do something. Now you should be one step closer to knowing how to do it the next time.
Conversely, when you don’t do something, the outcome will be far more convoluted. Essentially, you won’t find success and you most certainly won’t learn anything. Your personal growth will become stunted and you’ll probably end up with regrets. Pretty awful right? It is.
When was the last time you saw a movie about a guy that risked nothing and regretted nothing, and yet- found success? Is that a movie you would even want to watch?
When a moment passes you by, it’s not unusual to reflect on it. But don’t allow it to block your progression, while you’re stuck living in the past. Regret is fine, but only if you learn from the regrets and learn to live your life for the moment at hand, so that you’ll regret nothing from this moment on. A lesson from a failure isn’t a missed opportunity. It’s a gift of knowledge, for you to utilize the next go-round.
Quit overthinking everything. Or you’ll spend unnecessary time and energy building doubt, looking for reasons why you won’t succeed. You’ll start thinking about why it shouldn’t be you that gets the opportunity. You’ll try to justify backing out of something as the right thing to do.
The reason you are being considered for an opportunity isn’t because you’re an unworthy entrant. You deserve to be there as much as anyone else. Of course, someone else is probably equally— or more— deserving. They may even be more talented than you are. This is where you need to show everyone why you deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as your contemporaries, and perhaps you can prove to yourself that you deserve all of the good fortune you’ve worked so hard for. Shouldn’t it be you who gets to realize your dreams? Do you envision someone else delivering a celebratory speech, sipping on champagne beneath the stars, or gracing the cover of a magazine in celebration of their success? No. We want to be the one tasting the fruits of our labour.
Stop doubting yourself and seeing greatness in everyone else, but you. You deserve more.
Go for it!
By @MarkPavelich CEO The Mark Consulting & Marketing
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