"Don't let fear prevent you from taking decisive action."
I was attracted by this statement when reading "Principle 5 - The Power of Execution" in this book by Mark Sanborn. He related his experience doing bungee jump:
"As I stood at the top of the bridge, I remembered reading about a part of the brain that takes over when we're afraid...And I remember thinking that if I were going to go through the jump, I would have to depend on that primitive part of the brain, because my logical, rational brain was telling me to get the heck out of there..."
After the jump:
"I made an incredible discovery. Jumping is not at all scary. The only scary part is thinking about jumping...This experience reminded me that most of the things we fear in our lives are not nearly as scary as we imagine when we finally confront them. I think that true leaders, once they have gathered their information and made a decision about a certain action, rely on the primitive part of the brain that propels them forward, without further thought, discussion, intellectualization, or rationalization. Once they've made a commitment to an action, they follow through with it, despite their trepidation or fear."
He also related another lesson he learned from the bungee jump experience:
"The woman who jumped after me had a more difficult time getting off the bridge...I asked her, 'What was it that finally made you jump off the bridge?' She said they only asked her two questions. Number one: How will you feel after you've jumped? And number two: How will you feel if you don't?"
"Next time you find yourself facing an important decision and you're not sure what to do, ask yourself two simple questions: When you've successfully confronted the challenge, how will you feel? And if you decide not to take that challenge, how will you feel, months and years later, about not having made that leap?"
There is always headwind facing those who move confidently forward. Therefore you need to face your fears, act boldly, and take the jump!
No comments:
Post a Comment