If you were not afraid, what would you have done ?
A week ago, my office organized an engaging sales enablement training for the staff. The purpose was to encourage and motivate us to be confident in selling the company’s services. The session kicked off with an intriguing question posed by the speaker:
“if you were not afraid, what would you have done”?
This was a general question pertaining to all aspects of life, and everyone in attendance had to answer individually. As we went around the room, answers varied greatly. Some said they would choose to fly, while others expressed their desire to speak their mind more openly. One person even confidently claimed to have never felt afraid, which elicited a chuckle from the group. When it was my turn to share, I took a moment to collect my thoughts before responding with an answer straight from my heart: “I would live beyond my perceived potential.” Honestly, my takeaway from that interactive and exhilarating training was not the motivation to make sales, as I am well-aware that sales may not be a suitable fit for my personality (This realization is not rooted in self-sabotage, but rather in self-awareness. I understood that my strengths and interests lie in different areas, and it is empowering to acknowledge and embrace this truth).
Generally, a whole lot of us are stuck in a place or level we think we are meant to be because we think we’ve come far enough, and that could potentially be our limit. It could be partially true but that fear of taking the next step further and leaving our assumed limit is what is stopping us. It is a fear of failure, so we believe we are safe and comfortable where we are already. I look back to so many occasions where I could have excelled better but because i was afraid, I intentionally refused to take the next step.
But here’s the thing: how can we grow if we’re not willing to face our fears? What’s the worst that could happen? We might fail, or we might succeed. People might talk behind our backs or offer consolation. We might learn a valuable lesson and improve for next time, or we might be stuck with negative thoughts. It’s a well-known fact that negative reinforcements tend to stick more in our minds than positive ones. So I ask you again, if you were not afraid, what would you have done?
