“Hey Adedotun!
Thanks for connecting. Were you the gentleman sitting next to me on the train earlier?
Cheers!
G”
Those were the exact texts I got 20 Mins later after I had just alighted the Greater Anglia train service.
It was quite a moody October evening…the train had just hauled itself to Cambridge’s railway Station, 47 miles out of London’s King’s cross station where I had initially boarded to the East of England.
58 mins of traveling and I had one determination in mind, I was going to overcome the FUD. Soon as I alighted from the Train, I had done it. Make no assumptions, This was no magical connection, it was a timely-calculated one. Infact…call it a LinkedIn one.
Reading the texts repeatedly while walking towards my accommodation, I had only one recurring thought;
What the FUD?! What the actual FUD?! I just beat FUD?!
FUD in this context encapsulates three (3) words which has constantly been a barrier for everything, we as humans could possible desire. It means Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt.
For as long as I can remember, I have always struggled with recognizing opportunities when they appeared to face me or…technically not face me. You couldn’t refer to me as an “opportunist” because I was probably the worst at reading signals. If my immediate interest or lack of concern in my current environment presented itself with a solution to my problems, there’s an 80% chance I would miss it. I was too contented and immersed in my comfort zone. A delusional world of “if it happens, it happens”.
This affected my cognitive ability to be a solutions architect. I had always taken life as a concept that would always align with your interest and sort itself when the time was right. However, how can one ever know when the time is right if one does not take advantage of any time atall?
Understanding my life in retrospect now , I was a product of the FUD. — Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. I wasn’t totally alienated by these concepts but my rational decisions were often influenced by them.
Meeting “G” wasn’t just another Marketing story! I would refer to it as self-Marketing story! I had just started my MBA Programme a month earlier which required me shuttling between London & Cambridge. I had sat next to “G” on the train and I immediately became fascinated with what he had going on. One glance at his Laptop screen and I had the biggest willpower to beat the FUD! — He was someone I could pitch to and possibly work with.
We were both engrossed in our little virtual world that neither of us had time for a conversation.
Armed with a tad bit of FUD and a sprinkle of the resilient “Naija boy” spirit especially for someone who recently moved to a new country, I was determined to take advantage of whatever my surroundings presented.
In that quick moment of observation, I could tell he was driving great value through his startup brands, Zedosh & The Attention Exchange® !
58 mins later, I connected via LinkedIn; 2 days later, we had coffee; and 6 weeks later; I started my first Internship journey as a Data & Marketing intern.
Everything I achieved in the next 4 months was only because I faced the Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. I suddenly created a subtle balance for myself in the world of opportunities.
I made a promise to myself! I wasn’t going to kowtow! I wasn’t going to cower! I wasn’t going to bow to the whimsical lashes of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt!
Society has constantly conditioned us to live by FUD and as such, we’re victims in our own right but not by our own convictions.
The Red Car Theory presents an example of why we as humans continue to have FUD when we’re about to make big steps, take risks or leave our comfort zone.
The Theory addresses how we move around daily but often do not take notice of the Red Cars on the road because we’re so immersed in our own thoughts. The theory isn’t however about noticing red cars; it’s a metaphorical representation of life and how we tend to not recognize opportunities around us.
Like red cars, opportunities abound and often go unnoticed until we intentionally go after them thereby beating FUD.
So, in whatever you do moving on from now, Seek opportunities, Be more open-minded, soak in your environment and take every situation as a potential avenue for your career growth, personal development, key learnings, and Relationships!!!
What’s the worst that could happen? — “it didn’t happen”
If I can challenge the Actual FUD?! Why can’t you?
PS: FUD is a great strategy tool for Marketing & Sales professionals and i would explain in a subsequent publication.
Remember, everything you desire is on the other side of FUD.
You can encourage me to write more by buying me a Cuppa ☕️ . If you also want to see more of my thoughts, give me 50 claps or a comment, they are both free! 😀
