New Horizons: Give Yourself a Learning Curve

You Never Know Until You Try.

With all the recent changes in my life, I've been thinking a lot about what happens when we're faced with trying new things. Sometimes we have to get our courage up to even try something new. Maybe we're "Type A" people who want to do it all--and do it exceptionally. We're scared out of our minds at the prospect of looking foolish, out of control, less-than-perfect.

Guess what? We all not only start out less-than-perfect, but we're still that way when we die, too. No creature is perfect. So why let fear keep us from trying?

A baby certainly don't leave the womb, put on a suit, drive herself to a corporate office, and land billion-dollar accounts. A baby eats, sleeps, cries, burps, etc., and slowly grows and learns about life. And if you've ever watched a toddler explore her surroundings, you've seen how fearless the little darlings can be. You've heard the cliche' before: they absorb lessons like little sponges and keep trying.

We don't expect a toddler to ace a public-speaking event, complete with a dazzling PowerPoint, but we often expect ourselves to perform like pros at something we've never done before. Or we turn down opportunities that would've enriched our lives and the lives of those around us because we're scared. We forget that even the pros make mistakes. We usually give everyone but ourselves a learning curve. (Or not--maybe we're critical of everyone; that's a post for another day.)

You probably learned to walk many years ago, and I'll bet you still occasionally trip over things. I know I certainly do. I'll also bet that it doesn't keep you from walking anywhere, like on a new walking trail, from your office to a colleague's for a meeting, or from your car into a new club. I hope you also don't beat yourself up about it when you do trip on something. I know, I know; the stakes are higher depending on the circumstances. But the principle is the same--we miss out on some really great things when we worry so much about failing or looking foolish, whether we're doing something for the first time or the fifty-millionth.

That's my "sermon" for the day, and I'm preaching it to myself as well as to others, because we all succumb to the fear on occasion. When I feel it creeping up on me--driven, idealistic, perfectionistic soul that I am, I try to remember the book Who Moved My Cheese, which I highly recommend. In it is the question of what would you do if you weren't afraid.

So, as I navigate the waters of my life post-graduation: employment-seeking,etc., I'm going to try to ask myself that question and act with faith instead of letting fear hijack my actions. Put simply, I'm going to give myself a learning curve.