“Go big or go home” is one of my favorite mottos. Whether I’m starting a business, setting a goal, or making two and a half pounds of meatloaf-style turkey burgers for my spouse and me, I say it’s better to go big. But “big” doesn’t have to be super-sized, it can be extreme, unusual, or badass. One thing “big” requires is that I’m all in, like in poker or blackjack. I’ve got to be fully committed to go big.
Going big requires us to stretch. Stretching requires growth and change. When we are on the cusp of a big change, our egos will think we need protected and go into high alert mode to try to keep us “safe.” Several weeks ago I committed to my coach that I would be a person of my word to myself. I felt like I could keep commitments to other people but let myself off the hook on a regular basis, and I wanted that to change. This idea was great on that particular Monday morning. I was motivated, excited, confident even. I was going to get after it and make stuff happen. At three o’clock Tuesday morning, less than twenty-four hours later, my ego’s concerns about failure, embarrassment, and potential debt were an air horn that woke me up from a dead sleep. Ego was not thrilled about the choice I made the previous day. Ego saw no options for increasing revenue, gaining new clients, or networking since we were on lockdown.
I don’t know about you, but when my mind starts racing like this, I get paralyzed. I fixate so much on what could go wrong that nothing happens because I don’t try anything. Since I’ve been practicing curiosity, I talked to my fear. I asked it questions. I poked and prodded it until I could voice the root of the issue. What I did differently this time was to simultaneously interrogate fear AND take action. I worked on my website and marketing plan. I created a PDF on decision making and put it on my website. I reached out to people. I took action in a way that would eventually lead to revenue. And I didn’t let my fear of failure stop me from working towards my big goal of keeping my word to myself.
Don’t let your ego get in the way of your personal and professional transformation. Keep going big and stay curious friends!