“There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.” – Warren Buffett
Keeping with this week’s theme of entrepreneurship, one more quick story from Tuesday’s talk at WLU Business School.
(this will be just as useful for those who aren’t interested in starting a business, but want to master their mind and emotions)
Midway through the first class, a student asks:
“What was your ‘mindset’ for dealing with doubt and fear of failure when you were first starting out?”
I pause.
This is a tricky question, for me.
I can easily sound like a — well, a prick — if I don’t weigh my words carefully.
When I respond, it comes out something like this:
“I didn’t think about mindset, I just thought about doing the next task. Doubt won’t keep the work from getting done as long as I keep doing the work.”
Not too bad, the class looks happy with that.
So I continue to explain that inner development isn’t about manipulating your thoughts, in the form of positive thinking and self-talk and special ‘mindsets’.
True inner development means transcending your thinking mind so that it no longer controls your actions.
(as well as transcending your emotions, life circumstances, and eventually your egoic structure — but that’s a story for another day…)
So when we find ourselves stuck in the muck of our mind, rolling around in doubt and fear and anxiety…
…The solution is not to try to make the muck less mucky.
It’s to get up out of the muck and get moving:
To do the thing you’re doubting and fearing, whether you doubt and fear it or not.
Funny enough, the doubt and fear tends to disappear once we’re actually doing the thing — no special ‘mindset’ required.
So that was the first part of my answer.
The second part?
I think we’ll discuss that tomorrow 🙂
This is fun…
– T
P.S. It’s not easy, but it’s simple:
The antidote to fear is action.
The antidote to doubt is doing.
The antidote to procrastination is work.
Here’s a good place to start.
…
P.P.S. Before we wrap, I want to give one more round of sincere thanks to everyone sending thoughtful replies to these emails.
The outpouring of positive feedback has been humbling, validating, and inspiring all at once.
I can’t always reply personally, but please know that I am reading (and learning from) every single one of them.
Keep them coming 🙂