Do It Anyway…

Very early in my career I was working as a Training Instructor for a large company. I loved it and I was doing well.  I enjoyed helping people learn, and before long I was promoted to Lead Instructor. My job eventually became training the new trainers. I felt like I had found my lane. In my mind the path was clear. Work hard, keep improving, eventually become Training Manager, and someday retire from that position.

My plan was set.

I had my whole career planned out. And if you have ever had your life planned out you already know what usually happens next. Life has a funny way of snickering in the background.

Then a friend from another department approached me with a problem. His team needed a very specific training program developed to help prevent an issue and stay compliant with legal requirements. He asked if I would be willing to help. I jumped at the opportunity.

I spent weeks researching, writing, organizing, and building a training program from scratch. Eventually I delivered the training to a critical group inside the company. It went really well.  During the training, no one fell asleep or checked their watch dramatically or even asked if this was going to be on the test. As a trainer that counts as overwhelming success. It was one of those moments where I looked back after it was over and said, “Did I really do that?”

Afterward my friend pulled me aside and said he was impressed. Then he surprised me. He offered me a job in his department.

Here was the problem. It wasn’t training or a promotion. It was a lateral move into a completely different role doing work I had never done before. Everything in me resisted it. This was not my plan and not the career path I had mapped out. This was not where I thought my future was going. I remember telling him I didn’t feel qualified. I explained I had no background in that type of work and his response stuck with me. He said based on my performance and reputation he had full confidence I could learn it and do it well.

Which sounded very reassuring for him. But confidence from someone else doesn’t automatically create confidence inside you.

I went home and talked with my wife and I thought about it for days. I was nervous and uncertain. Mostly I was afraid of stepping away from something I knew into something I didn’t. I like familiar and predictable. I like knowing which problems I understand and which ones I already know how to fix.

There is comfort in competence. You may not love every part of the job but at least you know you will not accidentally break the entire system before lunch.

Then I remembered advice my dad had given me years earlier. He told me not to automatically say “no” to opportunities. He told me to stay open to possibilities as one never knows where they might lead or what they might become.

So, I made a decision and I accepted the position. I did not feel ready, certain and I did not feel qualified.

I Did It Anyway

And I had no idea at the time that one decision would take my career further than I ever could have planned. It opened doors I didn’t even know existed and led to opportunities far beyond what I originally imagined for myself. Making the decision to act on an opportunity, even though I was scared, led to an incredible 30+ year career.

It turns out sometimes the thing that interrupts your plan quietly builds a better one. That single moment of choosing discomfort over certainty changed my entire path.

So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!

I see the exact same hesitation with people who want to build a business. They are not lazy or incapable. They are careful, they want to understand everything first, they want a clear outcome before taking a first step and they want guarantees. They want the business version of instructions that say step 1 through step 57 with pictures and a hotline number just in case.

But business does not operate on guarantees. It operates on movement.

Most people are not stuck because they lack tools, ideas, or intelligence. They are stuck because they are waiting to feel ready. The truth is one rarely feels ready when an opportunity first appears. One may feel uncertain, exposed, and uncomfortable. That does not mean the opportunity is wrong. It often means growth is nearby.

In business, Do It Anyway shows up as publishing the first post, sending the first email, sharing your website, telling someone what you are building or even making your first offer.

All of which feel a lot like introducing yourself to a room where everyone else already seems to know what they are doing. None of those feel comfortable at first. But comfort has never been the requirement for progress.

Five Reasons To Take The Risk And Do It Anyway

1. Clarity Comes After Action – Many people wait until they fully understand what they are doing before they begin. But clarity rarely appears before movement. It appears after experience. Thinking produces plans. Doing produces understanding and results.
2. Confidence Is Built, Not Granted – Confidence is not a prerequisite. It is a byproduct. You don’t gain confidence by thinking about doing something. You gain confidence by surviving your first imperfect attempts. Your first try is not supposed to be impressive. It is supposed to exist.
3. Opportunities Only Show Up To People In Motion – My career change only happened because I agreed to help with a project outside my role. In business, new connections, partnerships and customers rarely appear while you are waiting. They appear while you are participating. People cannot respond to something you never started.
4. Failure Teaches Faster Than Preparation – You can learn for months and still not know what actually matters. One real attempt will teach you more than twenty hours of preparation. Preparation feels safe and experience creates growth.
5. The Real Risk Is Regret – People fear embarrassment and mistakes. But years later, the regret usually comes from chances never taken. Five years from now you may not remember the awkward first attempt. You will remember the thing you talked yourself out of.

Do It Anyway does not mean ignore wisdom. It means do not let fear influence your decisions. It is okay to feel uncertain, unqualified and exposed. I didn’t know what accepting that job would lead to. I only knew I was uncomfortable. But I took the step anyway and I am glad I did!

What is one step you already know you need to take but keep delaying? Leave it in the comments and make today the day you decide to do it anyway. Saying it out loud is often the moment a plan finally turns into action.

If one of the things holding you back is simply not knowing what to do next, that is exactly why I point people to the Internet Profits Academy. It provides guidance, tools, and a community so you do not have to figure everything out alone while you take your first steps.

And remember, you don’t have to see the entire path. You only have to take the next step.

I just heard my wife call my name from the other room. I have a feeling she’s going to ask me to complete a long overdue project I really don’t want to do. I suppose I better practice what I preach and Do It Anyway.

“Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:

I was scared of elevators. I took steps to avoid them.

I’m afraid of speed bumps. But I’m slowly getting over them.

Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!

 

 

 

**If you are curious about this process and wish to know more about an affiliate marketing business, please subscribe to my newsletter here to learn more.  And please continue following my blog.  My hope is not only to create the freedom I so long for but pass on what I have learned to others who have similar aspirations.