Is Your Safety Net Keeping You Bound In Mediocrity? Know When To Leap

We’re all familiar with the concept of a safety net. They make sense. When you think of a tight rope walker performing death defying feats you probably also see the safety net, swaying way below the rope, just in case ­ just in case the walker falls. And they should have safety nets. Safety nets are appropriate. But, I’m sure you’ve noticed that when the performers want to take things to the next level and truly shock and amaze (at least in the movies), they remove the net. And if they make it across, the payoff is huge!

When you remove the safety net, you increase the danger but you also increase the pay off. I’m not leading up to telling you to risk it all with nothing to fall back on. I’m just hoping to reframe how you view your safety net. I thought consulting was my safety net, but in reality, my skills and education are my safety net. If I fail miserably, I can always go get a job. And so can you. Give yourself your best chance at success by giving your full attention to your dreams. I supplemented my coaching business with consulting assignments in my career field ­ – marketing, communications and public relations.

What I found was that the consulting gigs were not only time consuming and frustrating, they would pull precious time and focus away from building the part of the business I was most passionate about. If I worked consulting gigs, I had more income but less time to generate more income from coaching and speaking. It was  quite the conundrum. Not really, I just like using the word conundrum. 

It’s was really simple. Fear of risk and failure will keep you clinging to your safety net. It kept me right there. I was grabbing at new opportunities while still tethered to my old life and sense of security. In the meantime, I was constantly frustrated, knowing that I was not operating in my purpose. In that sense, I never gave my new business a real chance. How can something rise and flourish while it’s tethered down?

There comes a time when you have to choose ­to wow and amaze the world or embrace mediocrity. Which will you choose?