What would it look like if…? That’s the question I asked myself a number of times in a number of ways over the past couple of years.
What would it look like if I up and resigned without a job?
What would it look like if I left the comfort and stability of the known?
What would it look like if I didn’t have a regular income?
What would it look like if I embarked on a journey with complete uncertainty?
What would it look like if I lived by faith? Faith in something new God has for me? In my capabilities? In my family? In friends’ support? In myself?
I realized the key part of these questions is the word ‘if’. If! A simple, two letter word. Half of the number of letters found in our favorite 4 letter words. No, not those 4 letter words, but words like ‘fear’, ‘risk’, and ‘doubt’. Ok, doubt has 5 letters, but you get the point.
‘If’ is such an ambiguous word. It can create tension and uncertainty. It can put a person in a spiral of negative thoughts. But it can also be a word of wonder. Of dreaming. Of adventure. The latter has been my experience in the last year.
I found my hero in Brenè Brown. Her writings challenged me to step into risk. Step into fear. Step into leading. She writes in her book Dare to Lead, “The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.”
Courage. There it is. The gauntlet. It’s out there. Am I going to live up to the call of courage or maintain my comfort? In other words, “What if I step out with courage, am vulnerable, and risk my career?”
Well, I did just that last August. August 9, 2019 to be specific. I was comfortable. I was with a good company and great people. But something was missing. I resigned, completed my previous employment, and began the countdown of my one-year industry-binding non-compete agreement.
Then some really cool things started to happen. Among them were:
-Developing a new network of people who are career adventure seekers. They are some of the most encouraging people I’ve ever been around. They’ve risked and know what’s on the other side.
-Meeting with a CEO who helped change the trajectory of my career and offered me an opportunity to join his growing company and step into a role I never imagined myself in, Project Manager. What if…? There it is again. What if I stepped into a new title, new work deliverables, and new challenges?
-Joining other like-minded risk takers who are eager to be vulnerable and step into courage.
On August 10, 2020, I and three other business partners launch a brand-new venture.
My adventure is not over; it has just begun. New ‘What ifs?’ replace the old…
What if I contribute more than I criticize?
What if I define my own success?
What if I am vulnerable?
Thanks, Brenè Brown!
