We’re about a week into 2016, and lots of us are probably taking this time to take stock and make plans for the new year. I’ve been doing that too. In 2016, I’m going to be focusing on really pushing PassionBlueprint. It’s something I launched a couple of months ago, to inspire and help people pursue their passions and do what they love.
But as I made plans for how I can take PassionBlueprint forward, I found myself constantly making alternative backup plans. I’d think of a different direction I could take PassionBlueprint towards, side projects I could pursue, or even jobs that I could apply for.
I was hiding behind “creativity” and other ideas. I was hiding from having to dive in completely into my new business.
It’s a trap I’ve seen a lot of people around me fall into. Entrepreneurs and creatives, especially. It’s easy to start thinking of thousands of ideas that we “could” do. We tell ourselves “I’m a creative person, I don’t want to miss out on any opportunities, these are all good ideas”. But in truth, more often than not, we’re just hiding.
Doing one thing, devoting yourself fully to one idea, one execution, and focusing purely on that – it’s scary. It’s tough to put all of yourself into one thing and just dive fully into that.
But as scary as it is, that’s the best way to make something work. Diving in fully is scary, but that’s the only way you’ll be able to see how far and how deep you can go.
Photo: Renee’s Swan Dive by Nelson de Witt
Diving in is so scary but will worth it. Great post. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been thinking about this as well.. It’s definitely scary!! But WHY? My theory is that when you want something so badly and it’s been your dream for a long time you fear that if you give it all and it fails then “YOU are a failure”… “You are not good enough”… That’s why we hide behind mediocrity. What’s your theory?
I love swimming and everything else that goes with it including Diving and don’t forget Bombing! Great post!
Regina and Brendon: Thanks! Glad you like the post
Andrea: Yeah, I think that’s definitely a large part of it. There’s this huge underlying fear of failure, and that’s even more pronounced when it’s something we care even more about. But the flip side of that is….without the focus, it makes it even more likely that we fail.