Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.
Frederick Smith
I am one of those overly cautious- everything planned out type-A souls that does not do well without a plan of attack. Leaps of faith are not for me. I have courage if I have a plan.
I am likely to take a small hop IF I know the exact depth of the water, how cold it is, and whether or not there is a current that is going to suck me out into the ocean. I like to have my days scheduled out at least a week in advance. I like to know the results of what I’m getting myself into before the project begins. I like to go through all possible scenarios of any and all situations. I have a back-up plan for my back-up plans. It is an epic understatement to say that I don’t do well with the unknown.
But I know that I have to tap into my courage and take a leap-of-faith if I am going to pursue my dreams! Last year I started my counseling business. And yet, even knowing that I needed courage, and to take a leap-of-faith, I tried to take the safe route. I started out seeing clients part time while I still worked for the state. I didn’t do everything right, but I was comfortable. I was extremely overworked, tired, and had absolutely zero self-care.
I was also not living authentically. I was telling clients that they needed to take time for themselves while I was working 65-70 hours per week. I was miserable. I loved my job and the clients I was seeing, but I was exhausted. My plan was to keep up that crazy schedule for 4-5 years in order to qualify for student loan forgiveness. I lasted 10 months.
TAPPING INTO COURAGE
I knew I couldn’t keep going this way. So I tapped into my courage and went out on my own.
- I made the jump without knowing if I was going to have steady referrals.
- I made the jump without having a backup plan.
- I made the jump without having a backup plan for my backup plan.
- I made the jump without knowing where I was going to end up.
I still don’t know what the future is going to be like for my business. I was terrified. I am still terrified.
There are days that I am so thankful to be out on my own. There are other days that I want to call my old boss and beg for my job back. Why did I leave the safety of a full-time job that offered health benefits, stable salary, and a retirement plan? I did it because I knew that there was more that I wanted out of life. I didn’t want to end up at the end of my life wondering what might have been.
MY WAY IS OKAY
I was watching TV with my husband tonight, Frank Sinatra crooning in the background his iconic song, “My Way.” It made me stop and think about what life has been like since taking that leap-of-faith. I have learned so much about my community. I have met some amazing people who are not only great business connections, but people that I really would consider to be friends. There are practitioners that I want to visit for myself and businesses that I can’t wait to recommend to clients.
This week has been really hard for me. I made changes to my business and I have not had the clients come in as quickly as I hoped. The planner in me is questioning my decisions. I planned for a few slow months as clients got used to changes, but I was not at all prepared for the phone to not be ringing at all. There have been more moments of self-doubt then moments of Yeah, Amy- You’ve got this! I have questioned my decision to jump, but I have no regrets. Inside I know that in the long run finding the courage to do it MY WAY is going to pay-off!
COURAGE IS IN THE LEARNING
I talk with clients in session each week about learning from difficult life situations. I am trying to remember that life is not happening to me, it is happening for me. I need to ask myself what can I learn from this situation instead of why me?
I know that my business is not going to magically sort itself out in the next few months. I know that there isn’t some marketing gimmick that is going to fill my practice (I wish there was, but I probably couldn’t afford it). I also know that what I am learning now is going to be incredibly valuable for me for the rest of my life. I am learning how to run a business. I am learning to recover from my mistakes. I may have to backtrack for a bit and change up some of the ways that I’ve done business. And that’s okay. I haven’t failed just because something hasn’t turned out the way that I imagined.
It’s sink or swim time for me, and I’m going to tap into my courage and swim!
Amy Jackson
My message is about NOT being afraid to make mistakes. Don’t be scared to make the jump. Yes, life is unpredictable and it can be messy. It is uncomfortable. I’ve made mistakes. I will continue to make mistakes and learn from them. Mistakes are not the end of the world. Failure is not the end. We have the amazing ability to evaluate our lives to see what is working, what needs some tweaking, and what we need to let go.
And don’t forget… just because you take a leap-of-faith, it does not mean you are going to fail. You most likely WILL SUCCEED! It may take some time. It will definitely take tenacity & some grit.
So go ahead – tap into your courage and take a leap-of-faith!
I’m here to support you!
Amy
Amy Jackson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and is the owner of Sweetgrass Counseling in South Carolina. Amy works with new moms and moms to be to realize that being a mom doesn’t have to suck.
She loves working with women and teaching them how to recognize and quite their inner critic so that they can become the bad ass mothers that are connected to their children and partners.
Amy is one of the first counselors in South Carolina complete the Advanced components of Care with Postpartum Support International where she received specialized training to diagnosis and treat the 80% of moms who experience the overwhelming feelings of being a new mom. Amy provides a safe space to talk about mom guilt, how to manage expectations of being mom, and provides practical therapeutic interventions that you can use when you are wide awake at 3am scrolling through social media imagining how you are going to screw up your kiddos.
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