Have you ever been excited and scared at the same time? More often than not, it seems to be the same thing.
I recently wrote about wanting to bring more creativity to my workplace and organizing a creative workshop among my colleagues and how that brought this self-doubt and fear of failure on me.
When I tried to analyze this fear, I realized that it had very much to do with feeling safe in my current environment. Organizing something new, with an unsure outcome of success was unsafe and scary.
But is it fear of failure or could it be fear of success? What if I am really good at this? In order to find out, I had to jump in and just do it.
So the workshop took place Monday this week. The mood was relaxed and I was well prepared to get everyone’s creative juices flowing. I had decided to make them doodle. Doodle?
Yes, simple doodling. Because (almost) everyone does it, it’s simple and there is an immediate and astonishing result:
It took an hour and I had organized sandwiches so people could not use the excuse of not having time (everyone needs to eat – so why not be creative while eating). Participants were happy and said they had fun and felt relaxed and that we should do this more often.
When I showed the results to my boss (who couldn’t make it) she was surprised at the result and suggested I organize a second session for those who could not attend. So that is taking place in two weeks.
Now the fear is gone and I am excited and happy.
So if you plan a project and are overwhelmed by fear, read my article on the fear and how to fight it.
Mimi, good for you for moving through your fear! You’re right – fear goes away when we start doing what we fear. The result? Our fear isn’t as powerful as we thought and our self-esteem gets an energy boost.
very good post, and good for you for working through your fear, i am working on it too:)
Mimi, this is completely awesome! You stepped into that fear, and into something that meant a lot to you – and look at the amazing results! I’m so happy for you! You are an incredibly creative person – and what a gift you’re sharing!
I faced some of my own fears just a couple of weeks ago. And it was all of that – fear of success, fear of failure, fear of the unknown – and yet, it turned out wonderfully!
Jump and the net will appear…
@ Miki: Thank you for your thoughts. It is an amazing thing. And the more you do what you fear, the more you realize how ridiculous your fear was.
@ Mysticdave: Thanks for your comment. Good luck with working on your fear. Just go for it and it will disappear. Or as Lance says it: jump and the net will appear.
@ Lance: thanks so much. Fear has many faces and looking each one of them in the eyes is a wonderful learning experience. I’m jumping
Mimi:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on fear – I know I have let fear get the best of me quite a bit. But I have also confronted my fears. I just need to face my fears more often.
Tim
@ Tim: Good for you that you confronted your fears. It is not always easy but so rewarding once you do it.