Failure.
That’s what people fear the most.
It’s not the fear of public speaking. It’s the fear of failing at public speaking that makes people uncomfortable.
Have you been there?
- Fearing that your retirement funds will go up in smoke.
- That the business isn’t going to be successful.
- That entrepreneurship is a bridge too far.
- Fearing that you don’t know enough about franchising to make a good decision.
I’ve been there. In fact, when I was younger I had a job that wasn’t just difficult. It was terrifying. See, I was afraid of heights. Anything that was up high in the air, on a track, or required climbing was not for me. So, of course I took a summer job at an amusement park. Lots of people wanted to work there, so when you came on board, you did not get to choose your assignment. You can probably guess where I landed: my assignment was to work on the Blue Streak, the largest roller coaster in the park.
On my first day the ride supervisor had a group meeting with all of the ride operators and rustled us all into cars to experience what I called the Streak of Bad Luck. You know that feeling that you get when you know you are about to experience something that could potentially turn out really bad? Well, that’s what I felt! But I was not going to let this beat me. Slowly I climbed into the car. The seat belt buckled, the shoulder harness locked into place – and we were off! As we headed up the first and tallest hill I felt my life pass before my eyes… except I am sure my eyes were closed. I remember lots of screaming – it was all mine!
Down the first hill we went…oh my god, get me off of this! By the time we reached the second hill and I realized that I was still alive. The seat belt was the only thing keeping me onboard with the whole experience. Around we went, up and down more hills and twists and finally, back into the station. As we pulled into our final stop, the supervisor must have sensed my fear – or maybe it was the look on my face – as he rushed to pull the shoulder harness off of me.
I was shaken, but not stirred. In fact, I was very proud of myself that I had taken this on. What I had come to realize is that being paralyzed by fear was much worse than the actual coaster ride itself. What I feared quickly became my friend – and I learned to enjoy the ride. I rode that roller coaster everyday that summer – many times in the first car. Here’s what I discovered from riding those rails, and I share it with all of my candidates.
It’s never tougher than it is in your mind.