Do What Scares You, But Only If It Excites You
How a healthy balance of excitement and intimidation can help us determine where to go next.
“I’m looking forward to graduating, but starting a full-time job feels a bit scary.”
“I’m glad to be starting a new job soon, but it’s going to be so different from what I’m used to.”
“I’m excited, but I’m also pretty intimidated.”
On the last day of my professional selling class this past semester, each of my peers and I expressed these sentiments. Have you ever said something like this to yourself? You’re excited, but you’re intimidated. You’re glad to be moving to a new season of life, but you’re apprehensive about the unknowns. You’re ready for a change, but change is also scary. How do we know when it’s just the right balance of excitement and intimidation?
You don’t have to level up more than one level at a time
Recently, my fiance and I went on a road trip to the southwestern part of the United States, and stopped at a couple national parks in Utah for some stunning views and short hikes. By short, I mean short, easy, anyone-who-can-walk-can-do-it hikes. I was excited to get out of the car for a while and see the natural beauty in its full glory. As we drove through the park, we saw trailheads for much more challenging adventures, anywhere from longer trails to passages which required actual rock climbing to get to the other side. I think those would be cool, but here’s the thing: I’ve only ever been rock climbing once in my life. I’ve never camped in a tent, never spent more than twelve hours in the wilderness, and don’t know anything about desert survival other than the fact that water is life. If someone told me I’d have to hike one of those trails, I’d be incredibly intimidated with very little to no excitement. Why? Because those trails were too far beyond my current level of ability. A few jumps up to a higher boulder was about all the thrill I needed.
Here’s the deal: if we try to skip rungs on the ladder, or short-cut to a more advanced position than we’re prepared for, we’ll be so far over our heads the intimidation will outweigh the excitement. Being intimidated by something isn’t always a bad thing: if the thing we’re afraid of is genuinely more than we should take on, the feeling of intimidation can protect us. It’s good that I’m too intimidated to go on an overnight desert wilderness adventure where I need rock-climbing skills to succeed, because without training and an experienced hiking guide, I would more than likely experience harm in the attempt. Yet, if I took time to train and prepare, I’m sure I’d find myself with a better balance of excitement and intimidation; anything new will be intimidating, yes, but if we’re prepared for it we’re likely to be excited, too.
I’m about to begin a full-time job, and I’m admittedly pretty intimidated. Yet, I’m also excited. Yes, it’s something I’ve never done before, so, no, I don’t know how to do it yet. However, it’s also a role meant for recent graduates, so I know I’ll get the training I need and will learn how to do the job as I go. Whether in our careers or otherwise, I think the important thing is to remember that leveling up and doing something new requires a step into the unknown, which will always be intimidating, but we don’t have to try something so new or so advanced that it dampens our excitement.
A friend of mine recently went skydiving, and he told me he was so scared he almost didn’t jump. After he did, he said it was one of the coolest things he’s ever done. Yet, when I asked him if he’d ever do it again, he said he isn’t any less scared of it even after having done it once. Immediately, he saw the parallel to life: we’ll never reach a point where we are immune to fear of doing something new. Instead of pursuing a life without intimidating steps, we should pursue a life where we take the step anyway, perhaps even because it intimidates us. Even as we do that, let’s remember to have some fun and enjoy those new steps, too.
Journal Prompt of the Week
When have you done something so intimidating it wasn’t enjoyable anymore? Why did you do it?
Share with the Community
What’s something you’re excited about that’s coming up? Are you intimidated, too?