Go For Nervous

You know that little voice in your head, the one you hear as soon as you get nervous? The one that tells you to play it safe?

It lies.

It tells you that you should slow down, or even stop, when in fact you might just be on the verge of an extraordinary breakthrough, about to create something truly fascinating.

If your goals are comfortable, they’re not big enough.

When you start to feel a little twinge in your stomach and moistness on your palms, you’re getting close. If you can keep going further, you just might discover something entirely new. That’s it. Keep going. Almost there. You’re about to blow past expectations, and become your most fascinating.

What makes you nervous?

Making a presentation to your team? Calling a client the first time? Hitting the “publish” button on your blog? Stepping on to the dancefloor? Or something like what we’re doing here at Fascinate, and taking on a project bigger than anything you’ve done before?

Me, I hear this voice all the time. In fact, the voice and I have an ongoing love/hate relationship. It slithers inside my head and hisses a warning to play it safe. It tells me to slow down. Play it safe. Be more reasonable. Be less fascinating.

The voice used to freak me out, making me worried something was about to go wrong. Like most people, I (falsely) associated nervousness with a bad outcome. Now, I realize, the opposite is true.

Nervousness can mean something important– something worthwhile and meaningful– is about to happen.

Right now, as I write this, I’m feeling a tad nervous. Here at Fascinate, Inc., we’re getting ready to launch a new product in September. It’s an in-depth personality assessment based on our research from the 50,000 people who have taken our F-Score test. Instead of telling you what makes you fascinating, as the F-Score does, this goes way more in-depth. It outlines exactly how to apply your natural personality strengths in persuading customers, employees, and everyone else in your world.

This is my favorite project we’ve ever embarked upon, but as it gets closer, the voice gets louder. Here’s our conversation inside my head:

THE VOICE: Gee, you’re kind of making this new product thing a big deal, no? It’s been like 9 months that you’ve been working on this. You haven’t even developed the subscription portion of the new website yet. Have you even launched a product like this before?
ME: Um, not yet, but I feel really confident about this concept.
THE VOICE: Yeah, well, it would pretty much suck if this thing bombs. We’ve worked on this every weekend. We’ve got all these people involved in the intricacies of website development and product features, and you’re still learning how an online shopping cart works.
ME: True…
THE VOICE: Let’s do this. Just tone this whole thing down. Give it away here on the blog. Stick to what you know.
ME: Nah, I think I’m good. This’ll be worth it.
THE VOICE: But–
ME: Shush. Just shush. This thing is going to launch, and it’s going to kick ass. Go find some bureaucrat to intimidate.

(Hey, I might talk a good game, but  my palms are a bit moist.)

Here’s what this means for your conversation with the little voice.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t be nervous. Only that you shouldn’t let the fear stop you from being your most extraordinary self.

Feeling nervous isn’t a reason to not do something.

Feeling nervous means you’re about to embark on an opportunity.

So the next time you hear that voice in your head, take a moment to listen. If the voice can guide your progress, then take the time to have a conversation with it. But if the voice is simply trying to bully you into a small, less fascinating reality, it’s time to speak up for yourself.

Tell the voice that you’ll speak for yourself.

And that you’ve decided to go for nervous.

Now, my question to you: What makes you nervous? Tell me. Let’s go for nervous together.

Today’s featured blogger is Sally Hogshead. Sally is a speaker, author, and brand innovation consultant, helping companies develop messages that persuade and captivate. Clients past and present include Nike, MINI Cooper, Aflac, Cole Haan, Target, Coca-Cola and Godiva.

Sally’s work and insights have been profiled by The New York Times, NBC, ABC, CBS and MSNBC. She’s been described by the press as “intrepid” and an “advertising mastermind.” Reality TV show Making It Big named her “Advertising’s Icon” who has “changed the face of North American advertising.” In 2009, she was interviewed twice on NBC’s Today Show.

A sought-after speaker, Sally leads keynotes for companies such as Starbucks and Microsoft, as well as innovation sessions around the world. She spent 2006 touring the country as a motivational speaker for CareerBuilder.com. 

You can learn more about Sally by checking out her blog, following her on Twitter, liking her fan page on Facebook, circling her on Google+, or connecting on LinkedIn.