Each month I approach a threshold. It’s a threshold of fear. I have thirteen article each month (for Sunday| Mag) that need to be both written and designed for. That means I contact at least twenty-six people to volunteer their time for my project. Twenty-six very busy and talented people. And crossing that threshold means contacting and asking those people.
It’s a very real, very scary threshold. When I see it come up on my to do list, I think things like this:
- Am I asking too much? I just asked them for something last month.
- What if they say no?
- What if I insult their abilities with this article request? Is it below their skill level?
Those are the real questions I ask myself. And as I ask myself those questions, I shift that item further down my to do list. I take Instagram photos. I play games on my phone. I do anything and everything to avoid crossing the threshold of fear. That is, until I grow a pair.
Then I ask. I put my head to the keyboard and craft emails. I get gutsy and ask. I’ll deal with the consequences later.
And as soon as I step one foot across the threshold, the fear goes away. I knock out my to do list and I’m done. I wait for rejections or acceptances. But the hard part is done.
That is, until it’s time to ask next.
The threshold of fear is always there. It never goes away. Until I take the step of boldness and temporarily vanquish it.
But I will keep vanquishing it. I’ll keep crossing that threshold.
And you must do the same. Get over that fear. Just act. Don’t let the threshold of fear keep you from making your vision happen.