If you’re not nervous — I am!

Why?

Because, I know you’re going to lose.

Nervousness comes from not having control. It comes from being outside of your comfort zone. It’s a precursor to learning and growth. Nervousness is a telling trait. In order to be successful we need to be pushing the limits. We need to be working outside of our comfort zone and that means you should never truly feel safe and being nervous tells us if we’re outside our comfort zone.

If you’re not nervous, one of three things is going on;

You Don’t Give a Shit;

If this is the case, then it’s time to go. It’s time to give up what ever it is you’re doing and move on. If your not nervous because you’ve checked out, then check out the entire way and move on.

You Haven’t Set The Bar High Enough

I’m not nervous when I ski a groomed black run. But, I can tell you the butter flies are jumpin’ when I’m staring down a 40 degree pitch with tight trees on each side and a 15 foot vertical drop to get in. That makes me nervous. We don’t get nervous in our comfort zone. Therefore, if the bar is set too low, it’s easy not to be nervous. Setting the bar low is the cheap mans game. Don’t set the bar too low.

You Have NO Clue What You’ve Gotten Yourself Into 

This is my favorite scenario. It’s my favorite because it so humorous and so easy to observe. Watching people launch themselves into an effort with no understanding of what they are getting into can be very humorous. When we don’t know what we’re up against, when we don’t know or understand what’s expected of us or what an effort truly requires our ignorance shields us from the required nervousness. If you’re not nervous because you don’t know what you’re doing or what you’ve signed up for, you AREN’T going to be successful – period. You gotta know what you’re doing and what the stakes are to be successful.

If you aren’t nervous, then I’m nervous because you are going to fail. Being nervous means you’re pushing the envelope. It means you’re taking on big challenges. It means your learning. It means you’re committed, engaged and taking on big things and that’s the way it should be.

If you’re not nervous, then I’m nervous because I know you ain’t gonna win, succeed or finish and that’s why I’ve hired you.

If you’re not nervous, then you’re doing it wrong.