A LEAP OF FAITH

The most powerful secret of consistent goal achievers, people who exceed all expectations, the top 2% in whatever field they’re in, is in the mastery of a straightforward question!  

“If you knew you could not fail, how big would you allow yourself to dream?”

Be honest! How long has it been since you last allowed yourself to dream? Ask yourself how much your current thinking might change if you KNEW you could not fail! If you could eliminate all restrictions and constraints on your success, how much additional confidence might you have? 

Your answer to this question is critical to your future.

 Many entrepreneurs and businesspeople have an innate lack of confidence. They sometimes overanalyze opportunities to the point of making bad decisions.  I ask every client I work with in my business coaching practice, and I am always amazed by their answers. Even when I remind the client that it’s just an exercise and we’re just playing the “what if” game, many will balk. When I emphatically make the point that all constraints would be removed and success would be guaranteed if they just moved forward, I still get looks of fear, anxiety, and low confidence. Translated: that’s just the stupidest question I’ve ever heard. 

This question addresses several levels. On one hand, it is a test of your faith, faith in yourself; faith in your business; faith in your idea. Just how passionate are you?  How willing are you to have a vision, stand by it, and pursue it, no matter what the obstacles? On another level, the question can serve as a benchmark for someone considering pursuing a business or product idea. I guarantee that, based on your response, you can assess your chances of success or failure.

 Which brings us to the reality that this question may reveal an inherent fear of failure.  Regina Dugan directed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where the entire business plan and its success or failure is based on asking “The Question.” Dugan summarized the process by saying, “I’m not encouraging failure. I am discouraging the fear of failure.” “Fear of failure constrains us, and amazing things STOP happening.” She goes on to say, “Remove the fear of failure and impossible things suddenly become possible. The fear of failure constrains us, and it keeps us from attempting great things!

In research conducted by a major university, a large sample of entrepreneurs was studied to identify the key factors contributing to entrepreneurial and business success. The results were telling. The research examined all factors. In the end, age, income, title, gender, heritage, ethnicity, education, and experience were not significant contributing factors. In fact, there was only one primary similarity that they all shared… just one.  The trait that they all shared was simply the willingness to (at some point) step out in faith! This means that each of these people had decided that sufficient research and planning had been completed. Enough worry, investigation, and training had been conducted. Whether they were completely ready or not, it was time to launch, to step out and begin their journey. To dive in and go through the process of failing, learning, adjusting, and then doing it again.  

They had indeed asked and answered the question, “If you knew you could not fail, how big would you allow yourself to dream?”  In doing so, they allowed themselves to dream and imagine possibilities and, in the process, learned that more was possible than they had imagined before asking the question. 

Think about how different our world might be if not a single person were willing to allow themselves to dream. I’m a history buff, and you don’t have to look too far to find a bazillion examples of someone willing to dream and be curious, the hell with what the public thought. In 1895, Lord Kelvin proclaimed that “heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible!” In 1904, Ferdinand Foch, a revered French Army General, said, “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value!”  Yet in a relatively short span of time, on October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager flew faster than the speed of sound! The act of thinking and allowing dreams to come true has consistently changed humanity!

Force yourself to accomplish this one action item this week.  Ask yourself the question. Don’t analyze or pre-judge whether your answers are possible or even probable. That’s not the purpose of this exercise. How big can you ALLOW yourself to dream? That’s the question.  Have some fun! Who knows, you may surprise yourself and change the world…. your world at least!