Have you ever been promoted and while you were thrilled about the opportunity, you were also nervous because it was stretching you? Or perhaps you’ve decided to start your own business or transition your business and you’re excited about it, but also uncertain because you’re not sure it will work or if you have what it takes?

Early in my career, I was given a great opportunity and promotion. When I was told about it, I was thrilled. However, shortly afterwards, I started to get a little worried. “What if I didn’t succeed?” “What if I screw up?” “What if I’m not ready?”. Well, as with most things in life, I had to move forward regardless of my worries. The job was starting. What I discovered over time was incredibly helpful to me.

I realized that most people, when promoted, are in unknown territory. A promotion means that you are taking on something new. You are usually promoted or given an opportunity because you demonstrated some level of talent, but the truth is – you’ve never done what you’re getting ready to do.

The same is true when starting a new business or working with a new client. It’s all unknown territory.

This is helpful to see because when we realize we are often in the unknown, we see how ordinary it is to figure things out. To work it out.

We all have within us the power to GET IN OVER OUR HEADS and RISE TO THE OCCASSION.

Take a look and I know you’ll see this as well. We are constantly thrown in the deep end of life and yet we find our way to the surface. We muddle through and find our way.

Often, when we think about trying something new, going for a dream, or being successful, we only see a gap. A gap of knowledge, a gap of experience, a gap of confidence or certainty. And we think we need to address the gap before taking action.

What if there is no “gap”. What if confidence isn’t needed? What if we get informed and learn by jumping in and learning along the way.

See, I used to think that if I worked it out enough internally first, it would guarantee a better outcome or success. But it really doesn’t work that way. We can only respond to life in the moment.

Our minds are designed to give us ideas, to help us, in REAL-TIME. There is a creative intelligence in the design and we can rely on it. 

A FREE CLEAR RESOURCEFUL MIND and active thinking/analysis and “what-if” scenario planning – are OPPOSITE.

When you’ve got nothing on your mind, you have a FREEDOM OF MIND, that brings forth out of the blue ideas, new solutions, helpful ideas.  

With this understanding, we get more comfortable being in over our heads, being in the unknown. In fact, we see the unknown as THE PLACE TO BE. It’s demanding of the intelligence behind life that it rise to the occasion and produce something new.

If you’re beyond what you already know and what you’re already good at, your comfort zone, and you keep your bearings, your mind will rise to the occasion and you’ll have new thought. New capabilities arise because you need them. If you stay in what you know or what you’re comfortable with, you will not experience new potential or new capabilities within yourself.

Listen to this week’s short video where I share a few examples of how this comes to life for each of us.