Tom: Today’s post is by Henri Juntilla from Wake Up Cloud. If you’d like to know more about how Henri can help you, head over to his site and grab his free report on how to start doing work you love.
Do you doubt that you have what it takes to do what you love?
You’re not alone. I’ve been there.
I spent two years hemming and hawing about whether or not to go after what made my heart sing.
I fantasized about sharing what I knew through a blog, a podcast, videos, books and courses.
But fear held me back.
I didn’t know where to start, what to do, or if anyone would listen to me.
I’d been planning for years. I was stuck. And the pressure inside of me was building up.
One part of me wanted to go, while another was scared to death.
Then One Day I Had a Dream
I remember a deep Morgan Freeman-like voice.
It was one of those dreams that lingers after you wake up. The dream stirred something within me. I felt compelled to take action.
I thought to myself: “I might as well start and see what happens. There are people out there doing what I want to do, so why can’t I?”
I could stay put and watch life pass me by, or I could give it a shot. The possibility of failure hadn’t disappeared. I had simply decided to challenge my fears.
Something Clicked Within Me
It was as if there was a crack in the structure of what held me back. The crack was widening, and everything was about to come down.
I started asking myself questions such as: “How long do I want to wait for certainty? Where is my cut off point? What am I waiting for anyway?”
There were people out there doing what they loved. Thousands of them. Millions. I didn’t know if there was a place for me, but I was going to try. I was going to start a blog.
I wondered: “Is uncertainty holding me back, or am I?”
It was never uncertainty that was the problem, but how I related to it. I could worry about the future and blame uncertainty. Or I could take responsibility for how I was creating fear in myself.
Embracing Uncertainty Was The Key to Certainty
I took tiny steps forward. I brainstormed a name, ideas for blog posts and where I could start.
Then one day I received an email from Chris Garrett. He was opening his Authority Blogger course. I signed up. (I don’t know if it’s still available).
I set up my blog, I published my first post, and I implemented what I learned.
I still didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing or where I was going. But I realized that knowing wasn’t necessary. What mattered was my willingness to put one foot in front of the other.
With each step, my confidence grew. I began trusting the wise voice within – what Socrates called his “inner daemon.”
It was never a question of trying to control external circumstances, but about finding certainty within myself.
Tiny Steps Got Me Through the Fire
Even with this shift in attitude, I was no different from anyone else. I experienced fear, confusion and worry. I craved security and certainty.
It was like my mind had understood, but my heart hadn’t received the memo. On an emotional level, I was still a mess.
What helped me get through this period of acclimatization was my focus on taking tiny steps. I let go of trying to figure out where I was going.
I noticed that even though I was paralyzed by uncertainty, I could still take another step. I could challenge the fears rumbling around between my ears.
I could ask: “Where’s the evidence?”
I could challenge my fears, assumptions, and excuses.
My Inner GPS Came Online
I found certainty within myself by becoming quiet and listening to what I wanted to do.
When I began worrying about the future, I did my best to take a few deep breaths and bring my attention to the present moment.
I would then ask: “What can I do right now with what I have?”
Gradually, I realized that at any given point in time, I could only do the best with what I had. That was all that was required of me, because that was all that was possible.
Whenever I tried to do more, I’d end up frustrated. Frustration was a sign that I was trying to do something I couldn’t do.
The best way I can describe it is as if my inner GPS started coming online. I was the only person who knew what was right for me.
I began trusting that I had an inner wisdom that helped me navigate life. Much like Albert Einstein, who often talked about intuition and an inner voice guiding him.
When I was calm, the signal was stronger. But more often than not, I lived in a chaotic mess of fear and uncertainty.
But there were pockets of light, moments of clarity that gave me enough fuel to take the next step.
With More Trust Came More Results
In 3 months, my blog grew to 1,000 subscribers. Not because I was special, but because I was willing to step out of my comfort zone and promote myself.
At every turn, virtual sweat ran down my forehead. I felt crushed by uncertainty, but my inner voice kept whispering: “Focus on what you can do with what you have.”
This calmed me. I could see the results I was getting from taking tiny steps. I could see that uncertainty didn’t have to stop me.
I became aware of the fact that the trust in myself, the certainty inside, was growing. I was beginning to feel more and more power flowing through my veins.
From Certainty to Uncertainty
The shift from uncertainty to certainty was an internal one. I wasn’t given the powers to change the world, instead I discovered the power to change myself.
Even today, doing work I love, I’m scared of what the future may bring. I feel the stabs of uncertainty. But I keep doing my best. I follow my inner GPS as best as I can.
Doing what you love is not about knowing where you’re going or what to do – it’s about starting and figuring things out as you go.
Or as Kamal Ravikant, author of Live Your Truth, puts it: It’s about jumping off the cliff and sprouting wings on the way down.
Growing up, I was taught to avoid uncertainty, but I was never told that true certainty couldn’t be achieved on the outside. I was never told that certainty comes from diving into myself, and from challenging my fears.
Today, I’m doing work I love. I’ve built a business where I help people expand the freedom in their lives.
And it all happened because I was willing to take one step at a time, one day at a time.
I learned what I needed to learn on the job.
So don’t wait.
Don’t wait for a great idea, clarity, fearlessness, or whatever it is you’re waiting for.
Start. And start now.
Photo Credit: “Caveman Chuck” Coker