Fear: Getting past the first post

I've been pondering how hard it was getting past the first post and how it's often the case that just getting started is one of the biggest challenges.

Of course, I've had to do other things to initiate my personal goal plan, but this is the one that took it public. What was it about this step that was so hard?

Getting honest, I realized it was fear. But I didn't know why. Was it fear of failure? Fear of success? Or something else?

Worse than that, I was allowing this fear to drag on and on, and time was passing. If I couldn't ever start, my whole life would go by without going after my truest most deepest dreams. And that would be really sad.

What was this about?
In his book Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance, Jonathan Fields says this kind of fear is related to uncertainty, risk and judgement.

Creators, like myself, who are setting out to do something that has never been done before, or never been done in the way we intend to do it, face the uncertainty of what is going to happen. There are no step-by-step instructions for success. We also risk all sorts of things such as time, money and status. And, there is the possibility of being judged, especially if we do not do well. Of course, on the internet, many are willing to be especially critical.

Yes, I'm sure that's what triggered my fear. It's about putting myself on the line, not knowing exactly what is ahead, the risk of the time and money involved, and the possible embarrassment of being judged in public (for all the world to see). Particularly if I just can't make it happen or lose interest halfway through. After all, this is about goal-setting where many of us fall down almost as fast as the new year turns into another new year. And another one after that.

Field encourages one to lean into the uncertainty, saying "Anything certain has already been done."

In addition, there is never certainty, except in taking the easy way out by not even trying. And judgement is merely feedback. It may or may not be useful for adapting your process. It may or may not even be valid. So someone has a viewpoint -- so what!

As Field also points out, "The possibility of loss is also a signpost that what you're doing really matters, that you're vested in both the process and the outcome."

~

"A year from now, you will wish you had started today." ~ Karen Lamb