There's a thin line between courage and foolishness. The trick is how to find the edge without falling off the cliff.
It's much easier to live on the safe side of town but the greatest rewards are for those who take calculated risks. Here are some examples.
1. Quit your job and start your own business.
2. Change careers when you don't have to.
3. Go back to school.
4. Challenge the traditional ways of doing something. (See How to Cast Fear Aside and Go for It.)
5. Run for elected office when everyone says it's impossible to win.
6. Create a non-profit and restore one of the biggest mills in New England.
7. Organize an environmental group and fight the construction of an Interstate highway (and win despite the support of the Governors of Connecticut and Rhode Island).
You may have guessed -- these are all things that I have done. I'm not bragging -- it's the hundreds of wonderful people who I've met and worked with over the years who deserve the credit for the success of these endeavors.
Through these life experiences, I've learned more than a few lessons.
Suspend disbelief. I can't stress this enough -- dream about the way you want things to be. For this time, eliminate the words can't, won't, shouldn't, may not, hopeless, unreasonable, impossible, too little and too much from your vocabulary. Substitute these words: All things are possible. If I had stopped to think (too much) about anything listed above, I probably would not have attempted it.
Aim high. When you are initially considering taking action or going a new way, aim as high as you can. There will be many opportunities to moderate your thinking but few to expand it. If John F. Kennedy had said that we would put a man on the moon within twenty years would we have done it within ten? Doubtful.
How is it possible. When looking at a challenge I think about what is necessary to accomplish it, not whether I am able or have the resources to do it. Knowledge, skills and resources can be acquired.
For many things there may be multiple ways to accomplish the same end. For instance, an interstate highway can be stopped by the Governor, Legislature, Secretary of Transportation or by an Act of Congress. Saving an old New England mill can be done as an historic restoration project, a jobs creation effort or as part of an environmental brownfields cleanup.
In each instance, look to where you can have the best affect. In many cases, you may be pushing on multiple fronts until a clear strategy emerges.
All in. The greatest determinants of success are your commitment to the project or change and your unyielding belief that it is possible. For me, all of my achievements, big and small, have come when I fully committed to the effort. I have built a successful web business and we create ecommerce sites, web applications, tie in backend database and the like. Ten years ago, all I knew is how to make a simple web page -- that's it. I committed myself to learning web development and I have read everything that I possibly can on it and experimented over and over again. Contrast that with building guitars. I have built a guitar and would love to make these beautiful instruments for a living but because I have not gone all in that remains just a dream.
Organize! Almost any successful effort will involve other people. I've found people to be generous with their time and knowledge as long as you give them respect. I find myself relearning this lesson over and over again, but take time to develop relationships before asking for anything. Comment on their blog, if you have technical expertise offer it, be friendly, be helpful, be human -- do these things, and lasting relationships will follow.
Shoot low, they might be crawling. One of my favorite university professors had this quote hanging in his office. He was an anthropologist and had been through many professional battles. He had come to believe that it was rare to find a true friend, at least in academic circles. It's a mistake to become cynical and untrusting but keep your eyes open. Pay more attention to peoples actions than words. How should I say this, watch out for the snakes?
Fail fast, but not too fast. Seth Godin has recently popularized the expression, "Fail fast". It refers primarily to business ventures where you should pull the plug earlier rather than later if things are not going well. But I've found that if you are engaging multiple strategies directed towards the same end that often you may fail fast on a specific strategy but not on the overall objective. This releases precious resources to strategies with a better chance of success.
It's often emotional attachment to a particular idea or way of thinking, which will cause me to pursue it longer than it's worth. For me, it's important to keep the passion and shift gears at the right time.
What about the cliff? Well, I just don't look down very often. Just as you can't drive looking in the rear view mirror you can't climb a mountain if you're overwhelmed by the fear of falling. Feel the fear, learn from the fear, but then release it.
A young woman I know was canvassing for a citizens group. She was just getting started in what she wanted to be a life of activism. Her job was to go door-to-door and give out educational materials and to ask for small donations. One day her turf included the home of Paul Newman. She went to the gate and rang. No answer. The property was surrounded by a high fence. She walked around the property looking for another way in when she spotted Paul Newman. Then, she scaled the fence and startled Newman when she approach him by his pool. Although he was civil, she was quickly removed from the property.
About a week later, the citizen group received a check from Paul Newman for $10,000 with a note that remarked on her commitment.
