It's 2018. Are You Scared?

HAPPY NEW YEARRRrrrre you okay?
You don't look so happy.

Oh, I know that look. You had your goals set for 2018 and suddenly, you realize they may be a little too steep. You probably had a rough 2017 that you're a little wary about crossing over to the new year. Yeah, I can smell your #Fuck2017 hashtag from here.

Well, if you're expecting me to tell you pull yourself together and man up --you came to the wrong blog. In fact, I'm here to tell you that fear is a natural thing. Heck, if you dove into 2018 without an inkling of anxious thought --that's when I'd be concerned.


You see, mindblowing plans are usually the ones that make us nervous. They're the ones that keep us up at night. The ones that push us to bite our nails and hyperventilate every five minutes because they're too good to be true.

My bid is that you let that fear in. Just so you know how real your mission is. Then, take the next step and use that fear to your advantage. Use it to fuel your determination to succeed.

"I'm scared because this step is huge."
Then maybe you don't have to go at it alone. Consider a partnership. If the goal at hand is truly gargantuan, you can even build a tiny team of like-minded friends who can help you see this journey through. Remember, you can still focus on a direction, but you don't have to travel alone.

"I'm scared because this move is different."
So you're going out of your comfort zone. That's exciting! And nerve-racking at the same time. To give yourself a confidence boost, you'll need to be armed with more than just willpower. You need to research. Find out the ins and outs and pros and cons of this new move and see to it that no pebble is left unturned.

"I'm scared because I might fail and embarrass myself."
You're thinking about what others might think, huh? Guess what --this isn't about them. It's about you. You're doing this for yourself and not for an audience of negativity. And if you do fail? You learn from it. You get up, dust your pants, and go at it again with fresh knowledge of what to do and what to avoid.

Do you understand how important fear is now? Fear keeps you grounded. Fear allows you to take a step back and rethink your plan to get to where you want to be. I'm not saying that a more solid plan will obliterate the worry. Of course, it won't. But that's the beauty of having a huge, real, worthwhile mission. It scares you but it doesn't break you. All you have to do is succeed.

To quote a fortune cookie I ran into once, ""If it isn't a risk worth taking, why take it at all?"It's 2018, freelancer. Go ahead. Scare yourself.

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