Crack open the book, “Juggling for the Complete Klutz” and you’ll be surprised at step one.
It’s not a hot tip on hand-eye coordination.
It’s not showing you how to stand or where to put your hands.
It’s not even how to get one ball up and in the air.
Step one is to throw the ball in the air and let it fall.
Just let it drop to the ground.
Then pick it up.
And repeat that 50 times.
Before any sort of obvious preparation for success, the first lesson is to feel the very thing you’re afraid of happening over and over again, so you can gradually rub the fear of failure out of your mind and move forward.
Step one is to face it and feel it before you ever walk into step two.
It’s brilliant, and you can see where I’m going with this.
What’s step one of that thing you’re afraid of doing?
If it’s giving presentations, start making them.
Feel the golf ball in your throat as you search through your notes or find an impromptu solution for an unexpected tech glitch mid-talk. Feel whatever sweat you’re afraid of so you can slowly take back the power failure has over you and channel it into bold communication.
If it’s getting feedback, it’s time to ask for it (and ask for it often).
Take a seat and look your boss in the eye and breathe through it. Ask inquiring questions instead of nodding in silence, take practical notes and make a point to follow up at a later date. Face the potential sting of what you don’t want to hear so you can transmute it into momentum and growth.
If it’s interviewing, apply for some jobs.
Get yourself in front of who’s hiring so you’re forced to buy the outfit, run through practice questions, work on good eye contact and iron out any nervous ticks. You won’t get any better at interviewing if your resume only makes it as far as the printer tray.
All of the power lies in desensitizing yourself to the thing you’re most avoiding or worried about.
Once you’ve faced it a few times, it’s not as big of a foe.
In fact, by never facing it, you make your enemy bigger than it is.
Failure is a fast track to succeeding and a step you can’t bypass in the first place. You won’t get it right the first time – no one does – so it’s time to get over it.
To look for it and welcome it.
To experience it.
It’s how you’ll know you’re going in the right direction.