Facing Your Fears

Fear is a 4-letter word all of us are familiar with. Some experience it less than others. Some are fearful; some are fearless. It’s even referenced in Brandstarter with the clever acronym “False Expectations Appearing Real.”

To celebrate 8 years since Laura opened the doors of Worx, we had a team birthday party. No balloons and streamers here, though. Instead, a 22’ pole, rope ladders, zip-lining, a huge swing and tightropes through tree canopies. It was a fun day overall, but every single one of us achieved personal goals and faced some major fears.

How do you know when you’re feeling “fear”? Does your heart race? Does your mind think of worst-case scenario endings? Do you shake from head to toe? We all felt a combination of those feelings when in reality our lives were not in danger. We had the proper safety equipment, a trained professional and our team to rely on. We all admit to repeating the same question and answer in our heads throughout the day.

“Will I die?” “No.”

During the climb of the 22’ pole, my body was shaking; I had to pause to control my breathing. I wanted to get to the top more than anything. The harness was attached to a rope that was being held by other members in my group. If I fell, I wouldn’t get hurt. Reaching the top and standing tall was liberating and joyful. I faced my fear, and I lived! So, while there are legitimate things to make you fear for your life in this world, most of the ones we face for personal or professional advancement isn’t life or death. 

The entire day, the bond grew stronger between the team as a whole and between each of us individually. To know we could rely on others, and we were willing to help each other in any way, demonstrated the importance of a team. 

Whether it’s your company, your family or a group of friends or a group of strangers, who is there during the initial fear? Can you count on them? A support team of motivators can really elevate your progress and successes.

While my favorite activity was the zip-line, the swing was also quite the adrenaline rush. As the harness attached to the rope is pulled by the rest of your team, raising you into the air, you feel it click into place. The only thing left to do is pull the lever. This frees the attached person from the rope stabilizing their height and allows you (and me, in this case) to fall and swing above the trees. The only way I was able to pull the lever was not hesitating. If you think about it too much, over-analyze the situation; you’ll never pull it. So with a green light from Clive (our man of the day!), I pulled the lever and experienced an amazing flying sensation.

The most challenging part of the day for me was the tight ropes between the trees. Constantly stabilizing my body and weight for 45 minutes straight literally led to muscle failure. I was completely exhausted physically and mentally. How can you avoid exhaustion? Pause when you need too, refuel as you go. Realize you are stronger than you think and keep going. Muster up that one last UMPH! to keep going. While I had to pause and regather my thoughts, I had special people around me helping me to appreciate my progress rather than feeling the frustration of my apparent weakness.

So, the next time you face fear, whether it’s starting a new job, giving a speech, or bungee jumping, ask yourself:

Who is there to help me?

How will it feel to overcome this fear?

How can I pace myself mentally and physically in order to succeed?

If you're interested in facing similar fears in an outdoor adventure atmosphere, visit upwardenterprises.com

One Size Does Not Fit All

Does anyone else roll their eyes when they see something that claims “One-Size-Fits-All” or “One-Size-Fits-Most?” Making that claim makes the exceptions feel even more excluded. While it may work for some products or companies, don’t assume it’s best for your business and industry.

By defining your niche, you are creating a sense of focus. Do one thing great. Don’t try to be “okay” at everything. Creating a niche and understanding it won’t limit your business or exclude people, but instead will serve you and your clients best. By providing tailored products and services that are a perfect match qualifies them for your business and qualifies your business for their solution.

Do you have aligning budgets and deliverables?

Every budget, business, product and service is unique. Not everyone has the same amount to invest. If you try to bend your estimate to fit their budget, you are undervaluing your services in the beginning. You might end up feeling resentful during the project and lead to feelings of being taken advantage of or feeling underappreciated.

Be real, be honest and have back-up plans. Create realistic expectations for everyone involved so that there are no surprise bills or delays.

Do your personalities and work styles work well together?

Depending on the situation, the time spent together and frequency of communication can really make this aspect a deal-breaker. Perhaps someone else in your business is better suited for certain clients/projects. The more you know, the better you can create the best experience possible.

If it’s not meant to be, don’t force it. Otherwise you’re hurting both yourself and the client.

Do you both value and expect the same results?

Do you both expect the same end result? Do you have a defined way to measure that result? Whether it’s how the clothing fits or how much the sales will increase, it’s important to discuss goals, action plans and proposed results.

You can’t please everyone. Everyone is unique; some people hate Walmart, some love Walmart. By creating clear expectations and defining your niche, you’re sure to have happier and more qualified customers.

D Minus Makes All The Difference

There is a song I used to sing constantly. And rightly so because it was derived from a movie that I constantly watched. And why not when it featured Julie Andrews as a mountain climber, a child tamer and Catholic rebel rouser. (Unlike Whoopi Goldberg in the Sister Act who sought refuge amongst the nuns so none of her nemesis could find her.)

Yes, the beloved based on a true story, The Sound of Music!

I feel we are already off to a bad start. Three words into this blog and I mislead you. There is A song. Singular? All those von Trapp songs played a vital role in my childhood but one of those songs I remixed the other day. As the snow came tumbling down in the middle of March, I, in my off-tune, off-beat over zealous, extremely loud voice, belted out:

“I have confidence in winter. I have confidence in snow. I have confidence that spring will come again, besides what you see I have confidence it will flee!”

So maybe my parody isn’t YouTube’s #1 watched reaching millions in just minutes. Maybe it doesn’t even make sense. But it made me stop and realize that snow is summer’s precipitation at a much, much colder temperature.

And I have confidence that it will flee.

That it will flee, not that we will flee. We can’t speed it up. We can’t rush it. We can’t force it. Spring must come on its own. But we don’t have to stand still. Together we’re going to rediscover spring.

We’re going to D Minus life.

1) D-clutter: Spring has sprung. And when it comes to the homeowner, renter or anyone who is trying to dust off the stubborn remnants of winter off their shoulder, they spring clean. Purge. J.C. Penny’s latest slogan? If it fits, you feel it. The D Minus way of living? If it’s too tight, too loose, you don’t wear, the color is puce or the buttons are about to pop, D-clutter.

2) D-stress: Is it just me or did we all get plowed up together amidst the snow and salt of life and piled high in shopping center parking lots, packed tight by the boom of the plow, waiting for weeks of sun to melt us so we can loosen our joints and jog our merry way home? 

No?

Okay, but seriously, what happened to hibernating? We have been extremely blessed with opportunities to exercise our creativity and network with like-minded people and meet new individuals, and yet less time to get to know ourselves and our families. Did you know my nearly 6-year-old nephew can make brownies from scratch? Neither did I.

3) D-activate: It may seem numbing to be neutral for a while, to just enjoy the quiet of life, even if everything is loud around you, but it’s a most refreshing state of being. All those wise written words about the ability of hearing more when you’re quiet. Though it may take time to adjust and appreciate, it is true. It’s like Winston Churchill expounds, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is what it also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

So it shows; the D Minus life is an act of courage. It’s a life of contentment. And ultimately it's a statement of confidence in knowing who you were, who you are and who you want to be one day.