Roadblocks. They are a pain the the butt and usually we don’t see them coming. Some just don’t care and go around at their own risk. Others turn around and find a different way to go. Unless we do the research every time we leave the house, (most likely not) we don’t see them coming. Sometimes you can see what’s right in front, but you may not be able to see what’s further ahead. This is classified as the unknown. Someone so many people fear so much that it stops them in their tracks.
When I think of getting past the fear of the unknown I think about my two boys. One more calculated than the other, but they tend to walk or run to wherever they are going not worried about anything that would make them fall. They couldn’t care less. Now, they get to their destination with a couple scuffs and dirt, but that can be washed or heal up. Most times, unless pointed out to them, they don’t consider the dangers that might be in their path.
We’re taught growing up that there are dangers and hurdles in our path and to proceed with caution. Sometimes we’re taught that we might get hurt trying to do something or it might be hard, we’re going to need to put in some solid effort. For whatever reason we learn to fear what might happen because we don’t know.
As mentioned earlier, growing up, the risk taking may not be so calculated. We learn to think critically and take into account the things that could potentially trip us up and use our support network to bounce back. There is also something so great about the way they learn to work through the roadblocks. Early life skills need to include how to remove the roadblocks we encounter. Mostly because pretending we won’t encounter any is naive. The worst part about this, its hard to watch anyone learn to work through this.
Very few people like the unknown. It seem to scream DANGER in our brains because our brains like our comfort zone. The place where we know what will happen. I’ve also seen people get stagnant in their comfort zone and wonder “is this it?” They may know what they want, what their dream job is. Maybe the want to live abroad. (I’ve never done that but it looks like a great experience) The issue is, it takes work. They fear failure, judgement, the work involved, maybe the even fear the responsibility of success. So they don’t take the risk because they just don’t know what might lie ahead.
I love getting asked the question, “if you could look a year (insert any time frame) in the future and see yourself in your dream job, life, location, relationship, home, etc, what would you do without hesitation right now?” People freeze up so quickly. They know the answer most of the time. The truth is, they are so afraid of the unknown, they don’t take the first step to get there.
How do you get pasts your fear of the unknown? Simple (but not so simple). Take Actions.
Take action. Take small actions. Small actions, even though small, still move your forward and they won’t overwhelm you. Small actions allow you to wrap your head around what your doing slowly until it doesn’t seem so daunting anymore. Every time you succeed at that small action, celebrate the win. We keep moving forward when we feel like we’re moving forward. If we don’t celebrate small wins, we stop working when the big wins don’t come as fast as desired.
Big wins come when small actions are consistently taken.
Find your small wins and keep winning.