Hugh Jackman froze on a rock face as a kid
Hugh Jackman froze on a rock face as a kid. His friends laughed. That moment explains something every leader, founder, and operator faces at work.
Fear shows up before the climb.
His reward was not confidence. It was a fear he decided he could not let spread. Fear does not ask if you are capable.
It asks if you are willing to move while everyone can see you shaking. By the time you notice the difference, you have already started building a smaller version of yourself.
A smaller voice. Smaller decisions. Smaller rooms.
Smaller asks.
Save this before caution becomes the wall you refuse to climb.
5 ways to notice fear is getting the better of you at work:
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The deck gets one more pass. ↳ Decide what “ready enough” means before you open it again.
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The hard conversation moves to next week. ↳ Write the first sentence before the day ends.
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The ask gets softened until it no longer sounds like an ask. ↳ Say the plain version out loud before you send it.
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The decision stays in “thinking about it.” ↳ Pick the smallest next move and make it today.
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The room where your work will be judged gets avoided. ↳ Go anyway, then learn from what happens there.
The hard part about fear is how reasonable it sounds.
It does not always say “run.” It says the deck needs work. The timing is wrong.
The client might say no.
The team may push back. The room might see the gap. Sometimes it points to work you still need to do.
Sometimes it is asking for control before you move.
I have known the difference and still waited. I have stayed quiet when I should have spoken. I have delayed decisions because I wanted to feel calm first.
That was the trade.
Comfort now. Confidence later. You do not remove fear before the moment matters.
You carry it with you.
You have probably noticed this too. You call it being careful.
Careful is useful.
But when careful keeps you still, it becomes fear with better language. Fear is not a reason to step back from the wall. It is a reason to check your grip, place your foot, and move.
One hold at a time.
video credit: movieloverscorner
Repost for a friend who’s calling it being careful. Follow @BarryFlanagan to stop letting fear shrink your voice at work.