Try Something That Scares You and Transform Your Future
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Fear has this sneaky way of convincing us we're protecting ourselves when we're actually just staying small, I was reminded of this last week when I almost let my fear of speaking Spanish rob me of a beautiful experience of connection.
I just returned from a trip to Argentina - my first time in South America. My husband's parents immigrated from there to the US in the 60s, and it had been years since he'd visited family.
We spent days with cousins who rolled out the red carpet, enjoying homemade asado (so much meat!) and empanadas, drinking Malbec and yerba maté. But here's the thing - hardly anybody spoke English, and I was the most fluent Spanish speaker in our group. Which wasn't saying much. Fluent is a giant overstatement.
Despite growing up in South Texas surrounded by Spanish speaking friends and family, and despite my 7,125-day Duolingo streak, I was still fearful of speaking it. I'd avoided Spanish conversations for years; fearful I would sound ignorant and be ridiculed.
But there I was, needing to communicate with family who spoke virtually no English.
I had a choice: let my insecurity keep me silent, or dive in and see what happened.
I chose to dive in. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Guess what happened? I said many words incorrectly, but I survived. Nobody ridiculed me. What happened instead was beautiful. They were pleasantly surprised at what I did know. They were gracious, patient, and happy I was trying. We had conversations that, although limited, connected us as people and family.
The lesson hit me hard: letting go of my fear and trying something that scared me opened a door to opportunities I couldn't have imagined.
The Same Fear Is Holding Practice Owners Back
I see this same pattern with my clients. They let fear keep them from stepping into something new and uncomfortable - like delegating that task or project that's been sitting on their plate for months.
They keep piling tasks on their own plates, uncomfortable asking for help and sharing the load with their team, which makes them the bottleneck and barrier to progress.
As a result, they stress about all the things they have to do but with no time to do them. They can’t get to the important priorities that they need to focus on the most.
When I suggest delegating to someone who might actually excel at it, I'm met with resistance. They want to hold onto it, and then we're talking about the same undone project a few months later.
There Is a Better Way
The practice owners that experience the most growth and success have learned to get comfortable being uncomfortable. They go after what scares them.
Would you like to give it a try? Here is a small way to start:
Pick One Small Thing - Choose a project you want to accomplish but can't seem to get to. If this is new to you, pick something that is low stakes but that you’ve struggled to delegate, like coming up with a team incentive for achieving a goal.
Find the Right Person - Take it to your most engaged CSR, an energetic VA, or a team member with capacity, capability, and interest. You’ll be developing their leadership when you get them involved.
Share the Problem and Set Boundaries - Explain the challenge, the outcome you want to accomplish and why it matters. Create the framework for success and paint the picture of what good looks like.
Let Them Engage and Drive the Plan - Give them power to think through solutions and bring you their ideas. Resist the urge to hover or take over or micromanage.
Step Back and See What Happens – Now that you’ve set the stage, watch what unfolds and support along the way.
What will happen? The problem moves off your plate and often with a better outcome than you could have created alone. You’ve empowered others to help you and contribute to success.
One small step leads to big change, and you learn something powerful: you overcame your fear, which turned out to be unfounded, and someone else helped you succeed. Now you can do it again, and again, and again, until it becomes as natural as breathing.
When you try something that scares you - whether it's speaking incorrect Spanish or delegating that project you've been hoarding – you will discover the power of overcoming your fears, of bringing your team along with you, and growing yourself as a leader.
Ready to Stop Letting Fear Keep You from Your Potential?
It's time to let go and see what happens. If it scares you a little, go after it. You will not only survive, you will become stronger for it.
Are you ready to tackle your biggest challenges? 👋 Book a free 30-minute discovery call with me to talk through your specific situation. No pitch. Just real talk about what's keeping you stuck and how to finally let go.
This is your practice. Let's make it everything you want it to be.
