Get comfortable being uncomfortable

A common trait for every successful entrepreneur is that they are fearless.

It is not that they don’t experience fear. They just don’t let fear stop them. They don’t care about what other people think of them – they just do.

They are uninhibited and therefore, unlimited.

Most people are driven by fear. Fear of not being able to pay their bills – so they work a job they don’t like. Fear of losing their job – so they accept a low wage. Fear of being judged – so they conform to the norm. Working a 9-5 job, slaving away for money that barely gets them by.

We are told we should go to school and get good grades – so we can get a good job.

But high-level education, as much as it taught me, also made me fear more. Fear that I was not good enough. It taught me that if I did not get an A – I was stupid. As opposed to real life, in school, there is such a thing as perfect. And perfect is getting straight A’s. Grade systems teach people that good grades means you are smart and that bad grades means you are stupid.

But that is not how it works in real life. In school you never share an unfinished product. You never get feedback or chances to rework and improve. There is no A/B testing which paper works better. The only thing you get is a letter on a piece of paper that either says that you are smart, or stupid.

And I was driven by fear of being stupid. Being drilled the classic ‘go to school, get a good job’ commandment made me believe the grade systems. And that meant if I did not get an A – I was stupid.

Moving on in life, this would prove to be my biggest limitation. Fear that other people would think I was stupid. I struggled with anxiety about even the small, unimportant things.

Starting my business, and reading plenty of books on the topic, made me realize I was limiting myself. My fear, or my decision to act on that fear, limited me.

I needed to step out of my comfort zone. To share my work when it was not finished. When it was not perfect. And that made me uncomfortable.

But I did it anyway. I started sharing my thoughts, opinions and work. And stopped caring about what other people thought.

Do not let fear stop you from pursuing your goals. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Because that is the only way you can become unlimited.