Reflections Printing

- A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for. ~ William Shedd

One of my earliest memories as a child was studying the monkey bars.  There was a way to go across from rung to rung without really letting go of one to reach for the next, and there was the true “monkey style” which was swinging from rung to rung – perhaps even skipping a rung to reach for a further one.  I was envious of those who were brave enough to swing – it seemed very daring to me.  Finally I screwed up the courage to try it, and wonder of wonders – I did it!

It is difficult to stray out of our comfort zones, (we might fail, and there might even be witnesses) yet we look at those around us who seem to effortlessly glide through territory that seems very daunting to us.  We have a choice to make – stick with safety or reach out for that next rung.  I am still not much of a risk taker by nature, but I have discovered that when I feal fearful, and out of my depth the best thing I can do is say to myself  “Hm, I feel scared – that’s okay (and nothing new) – I am going to move forward anyway – in small steps.”

Small steps are manageable and create momentum. I have been pleasantly surprised at what a difference they can make.  For example, the biggest client I currently have was acquired from one small step.  I was a vendor at a very slow trade show with not much traffic.  So, I decided instead of sitting there waiting for people to come to me, I would get up and network with other vendors at the show.  This was a scary step for me, I would have been much more comfortable staying right there in my seat than approaching perfect strangers, but I made myself do it anyway -  I limited it to only seven people, that was manageable, then back to my seat.  The one small step I took that day formed a relationship that has paid off in spades.

The common expression is “don’t sweat the small stuff.”  But my advice – going ahead and sweat the small stuff – push yourself and take those small steps. You never know – you could be swinging “monkey style” before you know it.

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