I tell my kids “all the cool stuff is on the other side of scary”. But I’m a hypocrite.
I try really hard to push myself to do things that feel like a risk as I know they usually pay off.
However, I recently created a video for Linkedin which was a risk and yet I didn’t post it.
And up until the point I wrote this email, I didn’t know why.
Arguably the video made me look ‘unprofessional’, whatever that means 🤷♂️ but I still thought it was a good idea.
It made me laugh…a bit.
But then I still struggle with starting a sentence with ‘And’ because some Grammar Police or my mum will tell me I’m wrong.
So I’m hardly up there with the big risk-takers.
I think we all have confidence battles at times and this particular post sits right on the fence of risk and reward.
My issue is my gut was pulling me back over to the safe side of the fence.
And I have to say that in all the years I have been working, my gut has been the most reliable source of decision making (even though it is full of poop).
As creatives, we are tasked with coming up with great ideas but I bet every member of TMM has had ‘that idea’ that is a stroke of genius but feels too risky to put forward.
It may be Mr/Mrs Sensible is pulling us back over the fence.
It may be that you are worried you may be made to feel stupid by your boss or customer, so you just opt for something a bit ‘safer’.
Or it may be your gut that has just saved you from an almost guaranteed car crash.
It is hard to say when it is right or when it is wrong to push forward with ideas, but as Dan Kelsall, Founder of Offended, said in a recent TMM talk...
“No one will remember you f*cked up in a few weeks anyway”.
Dan's is one of the best talks I've ever heard (although it does come with a 'parental advisory' warning) and I think it will make you re-evaluate what it is to take a risk. You can read a short write up the talk and podcast episode, or you can also find the talk on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
With love,
James
PS. If you were wondering what my Linkedin video was, this may give you an idea, I'm still working up the courage to post it...
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