Why You Should Terrify Yourself[2]
Honest question. Do you love what you do?
If the answer isn't a resounding, knee-jerk, "Yes! I live for this shit," then I encourage you to seriously consider doing something about it. That may sound extreme, but seriously, in 100 years you and everyone you know are going to be dead and your great-grandkids aren't going to get misty-eyed remembering how you got that quarterly bonus or a corner office. This is your life and every breath you take is killing you. Stop screwing around.
Chances are the thought of leaving your day job terrifies you. This is normal and expected… good even.
When I left the bank that day, I had only a vague idea of what I would do. I made a little bit of money here and there online. It wasn't anything close to a full-time living, but I knew it was a new market that was growing quickly. And with some hard work combined with my savings, I (naïvely) believed I could have a full-time business up and running within a few months.
It turned out to take almost 18 months for me to earn a full-time steady income. I went broke a number of times, was supported by my ex-girlfriend for a time and then moved back home with my mother. For most of 2008-2009 I worked 10-16 hour days and the majority of my projects failed and made little or no money.
It was stressful to say the least.
People ask me what motivated me through this period. The answer is terror. Complete and unequivocal daily terror. I was absolutely terrified to fail. Granted there was some love in there as well (I loved my job and still do). But that's also where the terror came from: the idea that I would never make money doing what I love; the terror that I'd have to go back to living off a job I hated; the terror that I would have wasted two years with nothing to show for it; the terror that all of my friends and family who thought I was crazy would be proven right.
This fear kept me up at nights, and more importantly kept me up at nights working.
I've met a number of people over the years who want to quit their jobs, to start their own businesses, to develop new streams of income. And they're scared. Obviously. They should be. But instead of leveraging their terror into action, they spend all of their time planning and planning and planning and not doing anything.
90% of your plans are going to fail no matter what you do. Get used to it.
It's not because we're poor planners, it's because there are simply too many unknowns. And the only way to uncover the unknowns and adjust for them is by getting out there and failing. So yes, you should be terrified of failing. And that is why you should do it anyway.
When I wanted to leave the bank, a number of friends and family members suggested that I continue to build my business on the side until I had a steady income. In hindsight, I think if I would have done that, I would not have made it. Giving up would have been too easy. I wouldn't have had the time or energy necessary to do it. That ever-present fear motivating me would have been gone.
The terror that jumping in headfirst gave me was my most powerful asset. I was committed. I'd win or die trying. I sold my possessions (video games, computer, furniture, guitars — everything). I stopped most of my hobbies. I lost contact with a number of my friends. I knew all of these things would return once I became successful. But failure was not an option.
Intellect is great. Work ethic is great. Ability to adapt is definitely necessary. But you also need the emotional drive to push you to achieve your dreams. Everyone's had the feeling where you know what you should do in your gut, feeling it and wanting it, but not having the emotional drive or wherewithal to actually get up and do it. So you continue sitting in the desk you hate day after day, year after year, waiting for something that's never coming, trapped by your comfort and safe in your mediocrity.
Terrify yourself. Use it as your ally. Give yourself no option but your dream.