I’m the first person to tell you that you should always take the risk, try the new thing, do that which hasn’t been done before.
But there’s a huge, huge caveat that most people forget. Do the scary thing, sure. It’s how we grow. BUT: Only do the thing if you’ve checked in with your gut, and your gut tells you it’s ok.
If not, don’t be afraid to say no.
Every single time I’ve failed in my life correlates exactly with the times I did the scary thing but ignored to my gut. And I’m not talking about fear – Fear isn’t the same as “that feeling in your gut.” Fear is there for a reason. It heightens the senses and gets us ready to do that which must be done. Fear is awesome. Being scared is the greatest motivator there is. People have built empires because they were scared.
But when the gut overrides that fear and shouts “no,” it’s in our best interest to listen. Our gut is instinct, and instinct has kept our species alive for millions of years.
In 2017, embrace the fear. But always listen to you gut. Your job is to get really good at telling the difference.