Sitting with Fear and the Gremlins in our Heads
I recently made a huge career pivot to fully commit and become an entrepreneur to focus solely on my business dedicated to coaching/facilitation/speaking engagements (I.e., I left my seemingly stable and well-paying job in corporate to take this leap of faith)! This was not a willy-nilly decision by any means; my own coach and therapist would vouch for this on my behalf, lol. In order to make such a bold and brave decision, I had to sit with my fears and the Gremlins in my head.
We’re all familiar with the feeling of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of living (and still surviving) a pandemic….just to name a few. Remember the 80’s movie “The Gremlins”? At first, they were seemingly cute, furry, and sweet. If they got wet, they multiplied and turned into vicious scaly monsters that wrecked terror. They brought on a sense of bone-chilling fear of attacking people’s safety and survival. Needless to say, before I took the leap to quit my job, I had to face my inner Gremlins. I remembered that in order to melt the Gremlins away for good, one would have to expose them to bright sunlight.
I needed massive amounts of light to get rid of the Gremlins in my head that kept multiplying and keeping me stuck in fear.
So what moved me from feeling stuck and moving towards the bright light? Here’s a list of tips that may help if you’re trying to address your own Gremlins re: a big decision you’re making in your career or other parts of your life:
Allow yourself to dream about the seemingly impossible (and write it down)! There were moments that I would write in my “creativity” journal, with as little judgement as possible, and jotted down dreams—about what type of impact I wanted to make in the world, my ideal clients, and what type of work/projects would fire me up. This allowed my fears to subside a bit, because it moved my mindset from closed to fully open.
Surround yourself around those who will champion you. I was fortunate to have both an amazing coach and therapist who I often talked to about all my Gremlins…and my hopes and dreams for wanting more in my career. I also had a close-knit small group of friends who believed in my dreams and what I was capable of…and reminded me that this was years in the making. Bottom line: I had folks in my corner to champion me and tell me to keep going…sometimes they saw the possibilities in me that I couldn’t even see in myself at the time. And I’m so grateful for that!
Sit with your Gremlin and hear it out. I know, this may seem a little wacky. Sometimes the fear that your Gremlin is trying to tell you is to reassure your reptilian brain that you need to stay safe for your basic survival. When we are stressed about big decisions, this kicks up into high gear—and these messages start firing off to not take a chance on something so uncertain…however, you can reassure your inner Gremlin that you’ve thought this through, you are resilient, and something else is calling you for more. And then you can threaten to take it out to the bright sun to destroy it, lol.
Do research and prepare for your big move. Talking to others who have walked a similar path helped me greatly. I spoke to other women entrepreneurs about their experience and they were generous in sharing their wisdom and knowledge; I reviewed my financial accounts and planned for how much I’d be able to survive and pay bills before earning my own income; I listened to various podcasts that had practical tips for starting a business, but I also listened to others who would inspire me to reach for more. At a certain point, I did enough research and prep to finally take the courageous bold step of giving notice to my manager, even knowing that I didn’t have ALL the answers. But I had enough to make me comfortable to move forward.
Know that you have your individual process and timeline in making your big move. I wish I could say “Hey, reader, don’t worry about it! You’ll take the leap in no time…all you need is one month to make it happen!” When making a shift in our careers—whether it’s a new industry, a step into a more visible leadership role, or frankly ANY transition that is a change in our lives—we all have to process it in a way that speaks true to our own readiness. Honor that. And, one size doesn’t fit all.
However, if you’re able to follow the steps I laid out above, you will find yourself one step closer to stepping out into the bright sun….and allowing your Gremlins to melt away.
Coach Cruz’s Corner:
Explore the fear that you’re feeling about making a big shift in your life. Who’s voice is this anyway?
Once you’ve identified where your Gremlin stems from, I want you to ask yourself, “How is this serving me in this moment?”
Thinking of making a bold move in your career? Longing for more career freedom and in other parts of your life? Want to explore how to be an even more authentic and effective leader? Schedule time to chat with me so I can assist you in your journey.
