scary – From the desk of Adam Thomas

A minefield is scary

A mine is a bomb that someone placed below the surface. When you step on that bomb, it explodes. A minefield is a field of multiple mines.

When you are in one, each step is a reminder that it could be your last.

I look at projects like minefields. The stakes are lower, of course. However, when stepping into the unknown, each step feels like the step that blows the project up.

That’s why we have to make sure we don’t put any mines down ourselves.

This happens two ways:

Put them down in front of us – we self-sabotage, putting things in our way, so we don’t reach the finish line.

Put them behind us – Don’t communicate, don’t document, and try to horde knowledge. Our selfish survival decision hurts the team (and yourself) in the long run.

Daring to dream is hard enough. Don’t make things harder.

Imposing Scary Hard Stuff

It’s imposing. It’s scary. It’s hard.

‘It’ – is anything worth doing.

The great thing about doing things that are imposing,scary,and hard is not many people can. It is a skill that transforms the people who use it. Dealing with your fear is more powerful than fear itself. You can defeat the monster.

Since it is a skill, it gets better with time. The goals stretch, and the world (your world) gets to know the person it deals with. It is one of the secrets of getting your best work. Doing imposing scary hard stuff makes you tough. By dealing with the ego and the pain of losing you become a winner.

It is why I hate the term “It must be easy for….” It screams defeatist. A way to hold yourself back from what might be difficult by turning the discussion into a judgement for the other person. It allows you to marginalize the other person and her work. It is your ego at play, doing what it does best to protect you from the hard work of vulnerability. It must be easy for him, he has a degree. It must be easy for her, she has a mentor. It must be easy for them, the teacher likes them. It must be easy for you to say, you have/haven’t _______.

That is a habit to keep you from doing things that hurt. It is a fail safe from life. By blocking the trouble of “this might not work” you are dooming yourself. You cut your potential. You waste time. You cannot get that back.It is our most precious resource. But there is nothing stopping anyone from starting today. There is no age limit.

Nothing is more imposing scary or hard as death. A close second is the agony of a life unfulfilled.