Fresh from doing my first Podcast yesterday and having the chance to reflect on it while at work today, it made me think of one thing. Man, did I just put myself out there – and it was great.
It’s hard to believe but when things like that go down, I get pretty nervous. The same really goes for when I approach a really attractive woman. I remember right before the Podcast, I was sweating and breathing rather quickly – yeah, I know, it sounds silly but well go through this. Then it just hit me. “Thomas, do you realize what you are doing? How many people would be able to do what you are doing? And besides, not only are you helping others out face their fears and improve themselves, but your mere presence alone will be the example of how to defeat your demons.”
After that pep talk, I was good to go, and the Podcast went really well for the first episode, despite the moments of blurriness. Once I edit it, it’ll be up for all to see!
But for me to take that risk was huge for me. It’s not like I am camera-shy – I’ve been on TV a few times and love to be in photos. There was just something in me that made me nervous. And in times like that, when I don’t understand why I’m nervous, I just automatically assume that I just need to ignore it and take the risk. Now, I’m excited to be on camera. And I do this with anything. It just doesn’t matter to me anymore. There is nothing really terrible that can come from taking a risk. You can only learn from it and learning to improve yourself is never a bad thing.
Be prepared to start seeing some video posts in the future.
But when you feel like the pressure is getting to you, make the decision to take the risk. If you let the pressure win, chances are it’s going to be even harder to beat it when you face the adversity again. That made sense, right? Don’t let the pressure of doing something you really want to do take over your life. You make the take-over and battle your demons.
Make the move and go for it! Life is all about learning and as far as I’m concerned, you are always in position to better yourself. I’m lying here in bed and as I’m writing this, I am learning so much more about the kind of person I am becoming and it amazes me. You need to do that too – well you’ll probably learn more out of bed but you get my point.
A really good person, Chris Brogan, who I consider a friend, said this only an hour ago,
“If you're not failing at something, you're not living a full enough life. Respect relationships but break the he'll out of everything else. And if you break relationships, say sorry, try your best, and love your own way.”
I don’t think I need to explain this.
If there is a time when you start feeling nervous, acknowledge it and then whatever it is you’re nervous about – do it anyway. Afraid to eat that last piece of blueberry pie? Don't know why you would but eat it. See that hot woman over there sitting down with her coffee, reading a book? Go ask her what she’s reading. Want to wear that flashy vest out but don’t think it’s like what you normally wear? Wear it tonight! Do what you like!
Promise me that you’ll go out and do something that you’ve always been nervous about. I’m telling you that you are guaranteed to learn something from the experience, whether you succeed or fail. You are also going to feel less pressure – you might actually want to do it again. Imagine that. And all it takes is practice.
Like I always say: it’s not going to be an overnight transformation. This will take time. But be persistent, work hard and you’ll get better at anything you put your mind to.
If you want to talk to me more about this, email me at infinity@recklessstudio.com.