As you may know, I have switched to a biweekly cadence for publishing new blogs. On my “off” weeks, I will continue sharing some Best Of Operation Melt posts from the past (with a little sprucing up). My blog has a ton of spectacular content you might never have seen before, and it is just as relevant today.
Enjoy this Best Of Operation Melt blog, and stay tuned for a new post next week.
Are you ready for a dad joke?
I offer you this "dad joke" as a light "amuse-bouche" to entertain your mind before we get serious. My dad joke may be groan-worthy, but it's worth every penny you paid for it, right?
What's black and white and black and white and black and white and green? Three penguins fighting over a pickle.
Best of Operation Melt: How Do I Stop Hesitating?
Coach Tony: I have been presented with a job opportunity that may be my dream job. I have done all the legwork to ensure it is a legit job and meets all of my financial and flexibility requirements. But I am still struggling to say yes, and I don’t know why. How can I get myself over this hump and stop hesitating?
It sounds like you have really done your due diligence and thought through this opportunity. This upfront work helps reduce the probability of something going wrong. It is the first step in the risk management process (see How To Prevent Unexpected Roadblocks From Derailing Your Journey).
But this isn’t a logic issue; it’s emotion. It sounds to me like fear is causing your hesitation.
This is perfectly natural. Your brain isn’t wired to care about your happiness; it just wants to keep you safe. This job opportunity is new and different. This causes your brain to perceive it as a threat to try to keep you safely inside your status quo.
Here are two simple steps you can take to challenge your fear.
What’s The Worst That Can Happen?
Pause and ask yourself, “what’s the worst that can happen if I take this new job?”
Proactively consider all possible risks and plan how you will respond. Having all the risks identified and addressed (preferably on paper) makes the new opportunity less of an unknown. This will help your brain see it as less of a threat.
This will also be a big confidence boost because it reminds you that there is nothing you can’t overcome. That’s where the second step comes into play.
Not Your Final Decision
Part of the reason fear gets in the way is that we forget an essential reality: there are almost no final decisions that can’t be reversed in life. If you pursue a new opportunity and don’t like it, you can make a different decision.
You are simply deciding your next step, not your future. Try to take steps to reduce the pressure you are putting on this decision.
Write a physical reminder to yourself, such as, “I will make good decisions today, but I am always allowed to change my mind tomorrow.” Write this reminder on a PostIT note and hang it somewhere you can see it often; bathroom mirrors are an excellent location. Then read it, ideally out loud, to yourself at least daily.
Try these two steps, and the fear will start fading away. Congratulations on the new job. I am sure you are going to be great!
Would it help to have a partner to help you challenge your fear so you can take that next step? As your coach, I can help you determine what you really want and evaluate which opportunities fit that. Let’s chat!
I believe in you; let me help YOU believe in you!
Meet Coach Tony
My name is Coach Tony, and I am a coach, author and project manager on a mission. I am working to build a world where no goal ever dies of loneliness.
I almost allowed one of my biggest life goals to die without ever being attempted for forty years. My goal almost died, not of failure but of loneliness. But, I took a risk and leveraged a simple, logical process that helped me wildly exceed my goal.
I transformed my life, and you can do the same with the help of Operation Melt.
Operation Melt provides engaging, practical content and hands-on coaching to inspire, motivate and equip project managers and other left-brained high-achievers to pursue and accomplish their biggest goals.
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