Begin It Now

Hesitation is an insidious disease of the human mind that inhibits change.

For me, it is a voice that interrupts the silence of focused reasoning and purposeful intent with an unwelcome dialogue of doubt and fear. It causes delay that sadly leaves words unspoken, works unformed, relationships unjoined, and scars of regret.

Hesitation -William H. Bartlett

Unchecked, hesitation can become incapacitating. It is especially difficult to overcome as others misjudge your inaction as negligence, procrastination or simple laziness. It is not.

Reduce hesitation in life.

A confidant, mentor and great human being named Buddy Portugal showed me how to engage spontaneity, act on ideas and reduce hesitation in ways that have been life changing. Hesitation, he said, is a state-of-mind that can be tamed by awareness and practice.

People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now.--Thích Nhất Hạnh

His advice is to live in the present and be self-aware.

Much hesitation is fostered by something that might happen in the future, e.g., What will they think? What will happen next? All you can control is your actions at the present - act now. The future and how others react is out of your control.

Next, be very conscious to recognize the voice of hesitation in your thinking.  The very second that quiet thought becomes a dialogue, stop the discussion and get to work. Don't give creeping doubt and fear a voice.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now --Goethe

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Small Matters

It is brutally cold outside today, it's Friday, and there is not even one small thing I have the motivation to start. What good would it do anyway?

It reminds me of another Friday, early in my career when I was freelancing for my friend Lou's creative agency. It was 4 pm and out the window nothing but sheets of rain.  Inside, beer and wine started to break out among the staff when, just then, the phone rang. Lou emerged from his office and handed me a small note containing contact information.  He explained it was someone wanting a small project done, but they wanted to meet for a discussion right now -- tonight! Lou didn't want to drive 35 miles away, during rush hour, in the rain, so he said that if I wanted to pursue the job on my own, to go for it. I called back, agreed to meet, and then cursed the whole drive out to his office.

Put your heart, mind, intellect, and soul even to your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.--Swami Sivananda

The office was very small -- a travel agency -- and I had a sick feeling that this was going to be a total waste of time.  Nonetheless, I was happy for the referral and decided to give it my best effort thinking perhaps it would lead to something down the road.  

After some preliminary questions regarding my experience, the owner of the travel agency explained that this year it was his turn to chair his industry's national association meeting and that he needed my help to put on the meeting in Nashville for its 2,000 members.   I hyperventilated the entire ride home.

The project billed out at a quarter of a million dollars. Attending at the Nashville meeting was the head of an even larger allied travel association. Eight months later, we produced his meeting in Washington, DC for its 5,000 members.  I suddenly found myself with 5 employees and looking for a larger office.

If you had asked me that late Friday afternoon if I could tackle a meeting for 5,000 people, I might have backed off driving out for the meeting.  It's only because I took the first small step out the door, in the rain, that the course of my career changed dramatically.  As for my friend -- he learned the hard way that no job is too small.  How about you?

Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.--TBD*

*TBA is my acronym for "to be attributed" -- still looking for the author.

Finding Courage to Make Change

Bill proudly wears a gold loop earring in his left ear he's entitled to wear as a member of a very exclusive club -- one of only a handful of sailors who have demonstrated the courage to face (and survive) the treacherous eastbound passage around Cape Horn.   His talk begins in the dark with a dizzying, fear-inducing, floor-to-ceiling video shot off the bow of his sailboat as he faces 60 ft. (19 m) seas.  After a few nauseous minutes the lights come up slightly and Bill appears in front of the waves to ask for a show of hands from those in the audience who think it takes courage to sail in these seas -- alone.  

Fear is an emotion induced by a threat perceived by living entities, which causes a change in brain and organ function and ultimately a change in behavior, such as running away, hiding or freezing from traumatic events. -- Wikipedia

What are you afraid of?

So facing 60 ft.(19 m) seas, would you be afraid?  Don't be too quick to answer yet.

What about this -- are you afraid to take action to ruffle feathers, say no, make waves, rabble rouse, volunteer,  protest, change the rules, or make a scene?  Would you be any less fearful if your gut was telling you these were the right actions to take?  

Fear is very powerful -- it can paralyze.  It's no wonder then that it's the primary tool used by those who wish to suppress change.  Sadly, the Politics of Fear is actually even defined as a style of leadership. The idea is that causing fear induces a reaction that leads you to run away, hide or freeze --  it's a perfect recipe to ensure nothing will change.

The answer.

So back to our audience, everyone raised their hands.  The lights come up full, and Bill points back to the massive waves and surprisingly says, "That? That doesn't take courage! You don't have time for fear when you're facing those conditions. That? That's reflexes. Trusting in all the knowledge and life experiences that have led you up to that point to carry you through. It's about trusting in yourself, your gut, your talent."

CAPTAIN William "Bill" Pinkney

His story is a demonstration that it is possible to use the trust that you have in yourself, your own skills and reflexes to overcome the fear that surrounds making change.

Then he finally, during a moment of rapt attention, finishes by saying, "I'll tell you what does take courage... leaving the dock."

So, bon voyage as you embark on a passage to leave the status quo behind.

What does your dock look like?  Feel free to comment below.



Bill is Capt. William "Bill" Pinkney,  the first African-American to sail solo around the world via Cape Horn. I brought him in to speak at a series of sales conferences in Florida and had nine days to hear his fascinating tales. You can read more about him here and here.