Luck Favours the Bold – Lose the Safety Shell

Have you ever been presented with a proposition that you think in hindsight would have gotten you where you wanted to be? Has it ever turned into a mind vs heart confrontation?

I was recently presented with the decision to choose a fulfilling career path. On one hand we had an IT role, which was close to my heart because that’s what I had always done and on the other a business process management role. It was perhaps the most difficult career decision I had to take and went back and forth between the two weighing up the pros and cons of each. This is when the “elders” were called in, those who had been there and done that. Based on their sound advice and the ultimate goal in sight, which is to be an entrepreneur and C-Suite executive, the decision was made to lose the safety shell. But this wasn’t done without first building a “safety net” to safeguard oneself from the pitfalls of stepping into the unknown.

The point I’m trying to drive here, or rather the points are

1. You and I and everyone else on this planet have a tendency to get comfortable with what we already know (partly the reason why you could literally memorize the names of all the explorers there have ever been). This is our comfort zone and there is nothing wrong with this BUT read on …
2. You may have a plan, but plans aren’t set in stone, be prepared to erase and re-write
3. You could either focus on the very next move or the long term goal when trying to re-assess your plan, one of them will be more fulfilling than the other and I believe you know which one
4. You could do one thing and do it very well your entire life and be seen as an expert but business owners and entrepreneurs are usually Jacks, i.e. jack of all trades, again, your call based on where you want to head
5. Never forget the adage “Luck favours the bold”, so tighten your guts and get out there

Have you ever had to lose your safety shell or step out of your comfort zone? What was your experience like?