The recent health care legislation has evoked strong emotion across industry segments, and chances are, there are health professionals that would like to contribute to the online conversations, but are hesitate to jump into social media. Consider that the timing is perfect to create an imperative for others to listen – all that is needed is a nudge to find your voice, because there is no benefit to not speaking up, no matter how passionately you feel about something.
I had the privilege of interviewing, author, speaker and coach, Sandy Schussel, on how fear can be a roadblock to doing something new. In his book, The High Diving Board, How to Overcome Your Fear and Live Your Dream, he identified seven paralyzing fears:
- Fear of failing
- Fear of being embarrassed
- Fear of making a mistake—of committing to the wrong thing
- Fear of being rejected/alone/an outcast
- Fear of climbing too high; that we don’t deserve our dreams; we’re not worthy
- Fear that we’re not ready, not capable, or inadequate
- Fear of success
Sandy continued with saying that you have a choice to speak up…or not. His remarks remind me of what Margaret Meade said, “I must admit that I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings.” So where do you want to make a difference, where do you want to engage? Finding your voice is critical to making a difference – and, keep in mind that there are tribes waiting to be formed and looking for your unique vision and voice. Don’t let fear stand in your way.
Good post/ BTR LeAnna & Sandy.
I wrestled with this very idea for about a decade before I took the lead. I literally had the idea for my current creation back in 1998 but didn’t even start working on it until 2008 (sad, but true.) The site exists now, a true efficient marketplace for healthcare called FairCareMD.com.
Just a few things that helped me step off the high diving board:
1. Repeating Good Lines: I wrote this down and have it on my board still:
“I may be right, I may be wrong, but I will definitely be something”
Some lyrics written by Geddy Lee of Rush express this even better, “You can choose from phantom fears and mindless avarice. If you choose to decide, you still have made a choice.”
It is one thing to think something or hear a song, but I found it helped that when I looked up, seeing that note helped, which always promoted the Rush song in my mind, of course.
2. The Worst Advice Ever: It the penultimate moment before starting to work on the idea full time someone said to me, “Alex, don’t dream.” I laughed about this terrible advice with my Mother who is also a successful entrepreneur, CEO, and more in her own right. A few weeks later I got a little plaque from her with one word writ large: DREAM.
3. Go Public: I also had the added challenge of starting a site that plays with my own name. Just like you LeAnne, I was finding my voice as a thought leader, but putting myself out there was scary. Your advice would have been useful then, but I just mustered a little courage and when I took a few tentative steps, I found…
4. Friends! The encouragement of wonderful people like my family and the people I met through the Health 2.0 community was critical. Eugene Borukovich, my predecessor as the Health 2.0 NYC organizer, Matt Holt, Matthew Browning, Sunnie Southern, Simon Sikorski, and so many others were very important to the success we have found and making those seemingly brave steps.
Thank you for this post and BTR. I think it will help others bring their idea to market faster and encourage entrepreneurship.
Alex, I think what strikes me most about your generous comments is that they are based on humility and authenticity, so thank you and let me take the opportunity to post your website as well. Your shout outs are a reminder of all the good things that can happen when good people build good tribes and begin to speak up:
“Friends! The encouragement of wonderful people like my family and the people I met through the Health 2.0 community was critical. Eugene Borukovich, my predecessor as the Health 2.0 NYC organizer, Matt Holt, Matthew Browning, Sunnie Southern, Simon Sikorski, and so many others were very important to the success we have found and making those seemingly brave steps.”
Thank you, and warm regards for continued success,
Lea
Alex,
Thanks for the comments. Great motivational quotes and song lyrics can help those who need to stay on track and true to who they are. The same is true of non-toxic people–those that will support you, even if they don’t understand you. People who won’t, out of their own fears, try to hold you back.
One I love is from Gandhi: We must BE the change we want to see in this world.
Keep doing what you’re doing.