Smart Women
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
"Smart Women Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
Recently, I took my son Jack shopping for a new baseball
glove. The old glove was too small for his hand and
his coach felt that a new glove might be just the thing
that he needed. He tried on quite a few and finally
found a glove that was a perfect fit and away we went.
He just happened to have baseball practice next so I
was excited for him to try out his new purchase.
As we approached the field, I noticed that Jack was
beginning to feel both anxious and excited at the same
time. He wanted to use his new glove but that feeling
of being "comfortable" with the old glove
took over. The new glove was an unknown to Jack, so
his performance with the new glove at this point was
uncertain in his mind. He knew what he could do with
the old glove. This got me thinking about how Smart
Women feel the fear and do it anyway.
So many times we hold on to things that no longer "fit"
in our lives (a job, a relationship, a baseball glove!)
with the thought process that it's comfortable, it's
not perfect but it's ok, when in fact, it does not fit
who we are anymore. I've learned over time that it's
more important to "let go" than to try and
"hold on" to what doesn't fit or what doesn't
work in our lives. Why? Because until you "let
go" and create the space for something new, it's
quite possible the "new" in your life won't
materialize---there's no place or space for it.
In order for things to change in your life, you have
to change. I had a mentor who always told me, "Change
does not always mean success, but success always means
change." As a woman and entrepreneur, I've been
at the crossroads of change more than once. For example,
I gave birth to my second child at age 42, was in the
midst of making a complete career change and birthing
my Big Idea, Smart Women Smart Solutions. Was it scary?
You bet. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
Have you been thinking about doing something new in
your life? Do you have a Big Idea that you want to step
into but fear of the unknown keeps you stuck right where
you are in your comfort zone? If you answered Yes, then
guess what? You are not alone. So many women visualize
a dream or goal that they want to have happen in their
lives. You see something that you want but instead of
becoming a reality, it stays in the dream phase of your
life. You get comfortable in that old way of being.
You tell yourself, "It works, it's reliable."
You begin to think about everything that might go wrong
if you go for your goal or dream. Am I right?
Two days ago, we went to Jack's first game since he
acquired the new glove. He and I had spent time talking
about his feeling comfortable using the new glove (He
was still carrying his old glove in his bag). I could
tell he was unclear about which choice he would make.
I told him that he would know what to do when the time
came. As I watched my son walk out to take his position
in Right Field that afternoon, I noticed the new glove
in his hand and my heart began to beat wildly. He looked
over at me in the stands with a sort of question on
his face. I gave him a smile and a nod. For a moment,
that old fear crept up in me as well. Would he catch
a fly ball with this new glove if it came his way? The
game began. About halfway through the first inning,
a boy hit a fly ball straight out to Right Field. My
heart felt like it was coming out of my body. I held
my breath. Guess what? Jack caught it! That was the
3rd out. My son came racing off the field, out of the
dugout and came running up to me with what I think was
the biggest smile he's ever had! "Mom, did you
see that!? It works! The glove works!"
Yes, of course I saw it. I knew it would work. Here's
what I know for sure: Jack needed to feel the fear and
do it anyway. I need to. And you do too.
Contact Information:
Joy Chudacoff
www.SmartWomenSolutions.com
310-454-2005 or by email,
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