You may recognize it: as soon as you start doing something new, you are overcome by fear. And so you ask yourself again whether this was such a good idea. That way, fear can hinder your growth. By being aware of this, it becomes easier to persevere despite that fear.
About a year ago I decided to say goodbye to the secure and organized life of the regular job with fixed days. I wanted more space to do my own thing and really wanted to contribute to this world. That is why I decided to set up my company Quiet Quality, to show introverts just like me how beautiful it is to be an introvert.
Did I never fear that leap of faith? Of course I did. From time to time I found myself scrolling through vacancies again, looking for a bit more stability. And every now and then that hard-hitting critic came by to tell me that it probably wouldn't work out anyway and I'd better stop. Whether I listened to that? Luckily not. We are now a year later and I can proudly say that I can do my own thing. I won from the fear.
Fear of change
Despite the fact that I love new things, I have certainly not always found them easy. For example, I absolutely did not want to learn to ride a bicycle, because I was simply scared to death. And also a day at the ice rink with school was a huge challenge as a child. Afterwards I liked it anyway and even wrote a small poem about it.
However, gradually it became a kind of sport for me to step out of my comfort zone. I discovered that that was where the growth was, something that I am always looking for. And so when I was sixteen I flew to Italy all by myself for the first time, I was directly responsible for an entire magazine during my first internship and I recently threw myself in the deep end by starting my own company and taking a course in improvisation theater.
When you start something like this, you notice that your head struggles enormously at first. As humans we tend to prefer to stay in our comfort zone and if we step outside it, all alarm bells will go off. However, the trick is to put those alarm bells into perspective. Is it really that dangerous? Or are you going to learn something new that will eventually take you further?
Dare to choose for yourself
In my coaching sessions I also meet people who are struggling with change. They sabotage themselves by not going for that dream position, or they prefer to stay where they are, for fear that everything will change. A great shame, because a lot of time and energy is lost on things that actually make them not happy at all. And if you are in such an unpleasant situation long enough, it can eventually even lead to illness and absenteeism.
Do you notice that fear is getting in the way of really taking that next step? Then know that you can do something about it and that you can learn to persevere, despite that fear. Not only does that make you a lot happier as a person, but it also puts your fears 1-0 behind. This will ultimately make it easier to do something new and enjoy it.
