This prompt by Lachlan Cotter is about recognizing fear, confronting fear and then kicking fear squarely and confidently in the stones.
Even when gainfully employed (prior to 9/08) I was unsettled. I was making good coin working in a niche industry that despite all predictions was contracting instead of expanding. I needed a (better?) long term plan but with a stay at home wife and two kids, I would not consider anything. At least I could afford the antacid to treat the feeling in the pit of my stomach.
In September, 2008 my employers suggested I do something else for anyone else. I was confronted by the fact that their was nothing (including what I had heretofore done) that I was passionate about doing. My enforced sabbatical led me to social media to test a hypothesis about using Twitter to drive B2C demand during off peak hours. I found my hypothesis faulty, but learned that I liked social media, a lot.
I continued to expand my network and I am now privileged to be connected with a large number of entrepreneurs using social media to drive their business ventures. These people are examples of where I want to be within my own niche. The cost of failure is far less than the cost of sitting on the sideline by whatever currency counted.
In case I am making a mistake by venturing forward, I say to the future:
It is impossible for the the blunder to be of significance in 10 minutes, 10 days or 10 weeks. That is too short a time to measure the success(es) or failure(s) of any venture. As for 10 years from now, if I have erred in this venture, the strength and knowledge I gained from the attempt laid the groundwork for future success in new areas.
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!
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