Stop Looking for Guarantees. Do This Instead

I'd like to share some tough love (in case it applies to you) that I've shared with a number of clients recently: If you think that your best bet is doing everything in your power to hedge your bets and then 'take a leap of faith', that's not faith because it's based in fear, whereas faith is based in possibility. Why does that matter and why is faith a trait to seek (n general, as well as in place of fear?

The reason is that fear is connected with looking for guarantees and control. Conversely, faith is rooted in the belief that aligned intentions plus action can create the results you're seeking. While you're not being asked to make daredevil-like decisions, I am asking you to consider if that gripping mindset that's fear-based is actually helping you to get closer to what you want. Or, might it be a coping mechanism that's cajoling your brain to believe falsely that it's what's best for you when really, your wiser self knows it's not? And, yes- clearly, I'm biased in posing these questions.

Here's a specific example: If you're looking for more business and you're taking every client (those with whom you don't really connect, others whose needs require you to contort your core offering, ones for whom you need to change your pricing, etc) this is hedging your bets.

I understand that there is a time in the earlier days of growing your company when you may not have the luxury of being discerning and turning any business down. Doing this helps to keep the lights on as well as to refine what you offer, for whom, and other key details of your business.

As time goes on, it's up to you not to habituate this and let it turn into revenue FOMO. Once you're out of those early stages of growth, are you able to take strategic action while simultaneously trusting that the seeds you're planting will come to bear?

Here's an example: I had a call with a woman I met in high school. We haven't spoken since (that was 21 years ago). She somehow found my work and has been considering working with me in different capacities for 5 years. I had no idea until we spoke. The conversation wasn't meant to be a consult, but turned into one and was aligned for both of us, perhaps turning into a client engagement.

Either way, it doesn't matter. It's another reminder to keep planting seeds without attachment to if or how they'll grow. Trust that there will be a harvest that's more than enough from those that do bear fruit.

If you overwater or over-tend to the soil, they're bound to die. Tend appropriately, then let them do their thing in their own time. That's faith in action that will turn into real results in your business.