The first time I read the classic “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers, I was navigating my first big career change. I’d outgrown any sense of career satisfaction, but I held on to the familiar for dear life. Reading Jeffers’s book helped me realize that change not only was possible, but that many people had also made it across the proverbial bridge and lived to tell about it.
I jumped off the cliff. Looking back, I could write a very long book on what not to do when making a career shift. Plan? I didn’t have one. Timeline? Hadn’t thought about it too much. What came next? Never really thought about that either. Oh, and my bank account? Nonexistent. Even still, I knew that I desperately needed a change, but fear had kept me stagnant.
Fear had me shaking in my boots again in the second iteration of my career. I was certain I was going to be a “lifer” in the field, but when my gut began telling me otherwise, I was terrified. Determined not to make the same mistakes I had during my first transition, I planted my feet squarely in analysis paralysis for a LONG time.
Over time, it wasn’t the indecision and overwhelm that was so scary; it was staying stuck and not taking action that really got to me. I realized I was settling. I began to take baby steps towards change and found the clarity, accountability, and community that helped me. Transition #2 came to fruition with a plan, joy, and excitement about the future.
Six months into my third career evolution, fear entered the picture again. How could this be? I had asked all the right questions and done all my homework—this was supposed to work! But it wasn’t working, and I was again starting to feel fear.
This time, I gave myself permission to feel the fear and peel it back until I realized, again, that I needed to make another change. Going against the status quo—leaving before the one year mark, gasp!—felt scary. But it also felt 100% right.
Being called to coach in a greater capacity has been one of the most electrifying and terrifying experiences of my life. Becoming a brand and offering a service that is my calling has made me face more fears about myself than I knew I had—or wanted to admit! Entrepreneurship challenges me to feel the fear. All. The. Time. But it also challenges me to move forward despite these fears. #truthbomb: even writing this article was an exercise in overcoming a fear!
Fear has become my friend, and it helps me grow every day.
My winding and evolving career has revealed that my biggest blocks have, in fact, been my biggest blessings. Moving forward, I’m excited to deliver content that helps you move onward and upward in your career in the face of fear.
I invite you to feel the fear and not let it stop you from pursuing your big, scary career dreams!
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