Face Those Big Audacious Goals with these Six Steps
Cliff divers. Bungee jumpers. Wingsuit flyers. These extreme risk takers face life or death and somehow function to complete the activity. This is known as edgework. Small business owners are challenged to take risks but sometimes fear halts progress. Applying the theory of edgework can help.
“As a small business owner I feel like I do take risks, but understanding edgework gives me a strategy to tackle the big audacious goals I’ve been avoiding.” - Cathy Lindemann, WISe Business Coach in Residence
Edgework looks at people who voluntarily take on risk that is highly consequential, usually life or death. Imagine that diver jumping off the cliff edge. By analyzing how the diver is able to function under such high risk we learn how to face fears in business risks.
Name a goal. The cliff diver wants to dive off the edge and land smoothly and safely in the ocean. Name something you haven’t gone after yet because it feels unsafe.
Name your specific fears about going for this goal. Cliff diving is literally life or death. What risks are associated with tackling your goal that generate so much fear you are paralyzed by it?
List the skills and tools you already have. The cliff diver spent years in training, likely practicing from high-dive platforms. You, too, have experience, knowledge, and tools that can be applied to taking on this goal. Make a list and keep adding to it over a few days until you feel like you’ve compiled all the resources you have to throw at accomplishing this goal.
Identify the skills and tools you still need, and source them. The wingsuit flier needed instruction and the wingsuit before jumping from the plane. What skills are you lacking and what resources do you still need before you jump? Figure out how to get these additional supports and make those connections.
Have your safety net in place. Extreme sport athletes take the care to have emergency responders in place. You likely won’t need an ambulance at the ready, but take the time to notify your close network about the risk you plan to take so they will be prepared to provide support and help if needed.
Move forward with confidence. Just like the trained bungee jumper can take a leap trusting the equipment, you can move forward knowing you are armed with the skills, tools, and additional support needed to make it happen.
If you have big ideas you have hesitated on, now’s the time to address them. Follow these five steps to understand how to face your fear and move forward with confidence.
Book a one-hour business coaching session with Cathy here.
Cathy Lindemann is the WISe Business Coach in Residence,President of Evolution Creative Solutions and on the Steering Committee for WBENC Ohio River Valley and Founding Member of WISe Wellness Guild. Cathy specializes in helping small businesses become "unstuck" for immediate growth and supporting strategic growth through WISe partnerships. Connect with Cathy on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/cathylindemann.