Making the jump to start Panacea was the scariest decision I’ve ever made.
Fear is one of the most complex things and if we’re not mindful, it can become debilitating.
I realized that I needed to face the fear. Evaluate it. Quantify it. Stare it right down. Remove it from the equation so I could make the best decision for my career.
These three exercises were incredibly valuable:
Who am I inspired by?
- I created a list of my biggest role models, inspirations, and heroes.
- After putting this list together, I identified common qualities among them.
- What I discovered is that all of my heroes are entrepreneurs and blazed their own path.
- This helped me forge the connection between what I need to do (present) and what I desire (future).
What are the pros/cons of starting Panacea?
- I created a list of pros/cons — reasons I should stay at MeUndies or leave to start Panacea.
- After putting this list together, I could objectively evaluate and weigh each of the factors.
- What I discovered is that the pros for starting Panacea outweighed the cons.
- This helped me validate that I should move forward with starting Panacea.
What are my fears preventing me from starting Panacea?
- I created a list of my fears/insecurities about starting Panacea.
- After putting this list together, I could objectively evaluate and face each fear.
- What I discovered is that my greatest fear was the lack of financial stability in starting a company.
- I then distilled strategies to circumvent or overcome those fears.
- i.e. Utilizing my savings to offset the financial instability, doing some consulting work to bring in some income, etc.
As I’m writing this over a year later, I’m proud to say I made the best decision for me. I’m fully confident that I would’ve been happy and excited if I stayed at MeUndies.
However, I’m living out my dream as an entrepreneur and wouldn’t have it any other way.
What is the life decision you’re wrestling with? What do you fear? Face the fear so you can arrive at the best decision for you.
