Why You Should “Do it Scared”.

When was the last time you did something that scared you?

I don’t mean cliff diving or wrestling a grizzly bear. I’m talking about saying yes to a big change that could make a big difference in your business. Stepping into new opportunities instead of lurking behind a bunch of old, tired excuses.

There are a lot of reasons we don’t act on the chances that present themselves. One of the most common is this; we don’t think we are fully equipped with the skills or experience we need to turn those chances into successes, so we choose not to pursue them at all. The perfectionist in me used this excuse for years. I thought, “If I can’t do it right the first time, I don’t want to do it at all.”
Oh, hello limiting mindset.

A couple years ago I came across a model created by author Ruth Soukup called “Do it Scared” and it has made such a huge difference in how I approach things that seem bigger than I am. She says we’re never going to be totally ready to jump when the pivotal, transformational opportunities come our way. Instead, we have to trust in what we already know, which is usually a lot more than we think. We have to trust the process and we have to trust that our parachute will open in time for us to soar instead of sink.

Using the do it scared model isn’t a quick fix that will magically make you feel invincible. It’s human nature to give scary things side eye, which is why our species is still walking the planet after all these years. Personally, I still take a big nervous gulp before saying yes to something that seems to exceed my qualifications. But a lot of the most satisfying projects I’ve taken on lately are a direct result of deciding to go for it anyway. How will you feel when you decide to do it scared? Well, probably a little scared. I bet you’ll also feel proud as you expand your skills, learn new ways of working, and hear yourself saying “yes” a lot more than you used to.

Mel Robbins nailed it when she said, “Doubting yourself is normal. Letting it stop you is a choice.” Doing it scared will absolutely mean operating out of your element for a bit and that can be hard. Please don’t let it stop you. There’s a pretty great side effect to pushing the boundaries of what you believe you’re ready to do: Every success, no matter how small, gets imprinted in your brain and makes you want to go for it again and again so you can experience more successes. And trust me, you will!