I heard this great quote the other day.
The extra mile is never crowded.
It perfectly identifies the single biggest barrier to standing out.
And, that barrier is quite likely not what you think.
Yep. You read that right.
Recently, in an effort to uncover the barriers standing in the way of great communications, I launched a survey. And, this week I started to dive into the results.
The biggest barrier stopping you from being more compelling is not a lack of creativity.
It’s fear.
People have a lot of different ways of expressing this fear. It can sound like this:
I take it personally when something I write falls flat. I hate that.
I worry about how people will react.
I don’t want to look dumb.
In all these examples, it is fear standing in the way of potential greatness:
- Fear of failure.
- Fear of rejection.
- Fear of looking dumb.
Come on! Get real!!
To overcome your fears, ask yourself some questions:
- What happens if I fail?
- What happens if I’m rejected?
- What happens I look dumb?
I’ll tell you what happens. You get up.
- Your time continues.
- Your work continues.
- Your life continues.
The first step toward compelling communications is recognizing your fears…and coming to terms with them.
What’s the worst thing that can happen as a result of trying an approach others consider difficult, crazy, or otherwise scary? Usually, it’s not all that bad.
What’s the best thing that can happen? Why not focus on that?
- Be brave.
- Dare to be different.
- Go the extra mile.
Try things others won’t…and soon you’ll do things others can’t.
🤘👊💥😎