Facing the fear

An article I wrote in the current Idealog is coming back to haunt me - in a good way.

It's called "What I've learned about ... beating fear", a conversation I had with improv expert and general inspiring guy Wade Jackson (in the centre with the gun). He talked about how to deal with stage fright - perhaps the ultimate fear for some, and a good metaphor for all kinds of fear that we face.

Since then I've signed the lease for a pretty fancy office in the heart of Auckland City. It's a little different from the corner next to the fridge at home that has served as my office in the last 3 years.

It's part of a number of big changes in my business this year. Changes that can be frightening as well as exhilirating. Wade's words come back to me and remind me:

Stage fright is purely losing connection with your audience. If you focus on the people you’re there to serve, you’ll do well. The same is true for business. Stage fright for an entrepreneur is simply when he or she loses connection with the reason for being in business.

As someone who's done a bit of acting in the past, it's a helpful metaphor: business as performance.

Marie (my wife and collaborator) has been reading Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results this evening. It sounds like the chapters on "Play" are telling us the same thing.

Love your work.