Jeremie Averous's Blog, page 159

Beyond fear

I am deeply scared.

scared?

Now that I have resigned from my conventional job to start my own venture, I am really, really, very scared.

It is a fear that comes from far. A fear not to be able to support my family. Of having taken the wrong decision.

Logically, I know I should not be so scared. I have savings to allow for some idle time. I am finalizing a significant contract for my new company that should allow to secure sufficient income in 2012.

Still, I can't avoid to be scared. I have to learn to face my fear. And I am going through a tremendous learning curve now.

Of course I toyed with the idea of creating a company for some time. I spent hours on numerous simulation spreadsheets, studied the market, involved friends and sought advice. Still, now that I am in it, having cut the bridge to the company that employed me, WOW, fear hits big time! And it is not reality that hits, because reality seems to be OK – it is an irrational fear of the unknown with the thought that my life is at stake.

Now I do face my fear. And it is huge, scary, smelly. It is incredible. As I stand up to face it I feel exhilarated to look at my fear in the eye and with the internal belief that I am going to overcome it.

Because facing my fear makes me realize how committed I am and how deeply resilient I can be. Much more than I thought, actually.

Beyond fear I discover myself.

Maybe that's an experience everybody should go through to discover oneself?

The under-rated power of Appreciative Inquiry

Have you heard about Appreciative Inquiry?

It is certainly one of the most powerful coaching tools I know. It works extremely well in change situations – personal or organizational.

What is it about? Often people and organizations know they have to change. They know what they need to change. And they often go in negative spirals like "we have never been able to do that", "that's not possible".

Appreciative inquiry challenges this by pushing people or organizations to find situations in the past that were different and had a little bit of what we intend to change. To the heavy smoker: What were situations where you managed to smoke less? To the organization that never seems to be able to innovate: what were situations in the past where you managed to be a bit innovative?

There were always such occasions, because of the intrinsic variance in the way we behave, in the way things happen. Appreciative inquiry then digs appreciatively into these past events to find what were the factors that elicited those changes, and how it did feel.

It shows that the individual or the organization is able to do the change, and identify what needs to be done more or less to achieve the change that is needed today.

Appreciative inquiry requires external help, and is deeply powerful. It allows to figure out the highly emotionally engaged simple actions that make successful large changes.

Next time you think you are faced with a dead end, something you think is impossible, turn to appreciative inquiry. Dig into your past and recognize how you can change.

More so, appreciate your past and build your future upon the lessons you learnt. They may be hidden but they are there. Go and find them.

The incredibly far reaching Industrial Age imprisonment, crushing our dreams

Why is there so much frustration and so many people that don't really do what they long to do, what they dream to do?

Ever since I have written a book, every time I present it, I get more questions on how I managed to write and publish it, than on the book itself! So many people dream to write a book, or have written a book already!

Ever since I have announced to the world that I was leaving the comfortable corporate environment to be an entrepreneur, I get more questions on how I manage to do it than on my actual project itself! So many people dream to start their business, so many people have a truly good business idea ready for application!

The answer is obvious, of course: fear, which often hides behind busy-ness (being busy on actions with little impact, spending one's time). All of this entertained by Industrial Age institutions, which repeat endlessly how inappropriate it is to be weird, to have initiative, and lock us into a system from which it is difficult to escape.

Of course these institutions look like they provide us with a stable, safe environment. That was maybe true in the past, but today we know that's really overrated. No job is really safe today in any corporation. Still, we cling to that mindset for lack of another safe haven. And the Industrial Age system also cleverly provided barriers to our dreams: large mortgages that limit drastically our financial freedom; tax, professional and immigration legislation that limit our freedom of movement or of choosing our activity.

do you need a buddy for tandem jump?

There are ways to minimize risk when starting a venture. Have good advice and support from people who have gone through the transition (like you stay safe during your first free fall jump by having an experienced person jumping in tandem with you). Have a parachute already open that slows down your scary dynamics (a signed contract, savings…) and gives you more time. Have encouragement and support from your family and friends.

You know what? It is rare to find someone who has jumped out of the Industrial Age system and has really, deeply failed. Of course people go through temporary failures until they find their way; they might not seek and get those shiny things that Industrial Age ego would crave (a larger car, a larger house, etc); still, overall I find that people who jumped are more happy. And above all their contribution to the world is just tremendous.

I can barely imagine how the world will be when a significant portion of people will have jumped outside the Industrial Age, when the number of K.E.E.Ns will have increased dramatically, and when all these people will share their talents and contributions with all of us, creating a very different place to live.

Let's go and do it. Overcome your fear. Become a real K.E.E.N.. Come on, jump!