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{"id":13082,"date":"2020-03-04T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildbookbuzz.com\/?p=13082"},"modified":"2023-12-07T21:35:16","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T21:35:16","slug":"dont-be-afraid-to-fail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandra.oddjar.com\/dont-be-afraid-to-fail\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t be afraid to fail"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been procrastinating lately.<\/p>\n

I need to start a big project and keep finding other things to do.<\/p>\n

When I took the time to think about it, I realized that my problem is that I’m afraid of failing.<\/p>\n

Will it fly?<\/em><\/p>\n

Will people like it?<\/em><\/p>\n

Will it be good enough?<\/em><\/p>\n

Maybe you’ve had the same questions as you’ve started writing a new book.<\/p>\n

Have a little faith<\/h2>\n

I went in search of a little inspiration to help me overcome my fear of failure and found this gem from Michael Jordan: “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

\"Don't<\/a>
\nIt reminded me of my other fears, and they all start with “what if.”<\/p>\n

What if I never tried? <\/em><\/p>\n

What if I never gave my idea a chance? <\/em><\/p>\n

What if I always regretted not trying?<\/em><\/p>\n

The flip side of this is a nice collection of negative “what ifs” that include my favorite: What if it fails?<\/em><\/p>\n

And just for the heck of it, let’s throw in: What if I’m not the right person for this?<\/em><\/p>\n

Making sure you’re not afraid to fail<\/h2>\n

Years ago, I presented a keynote speech on finding the courage to change. There’s a lot of fear around change. I told the audience that one of the secrets to overcoming that is simple: Before taking the leap that represents change, make sure your bungee cord is attached.<\/em><\/p>\n

That bungee cord, in whatever form it takes, will keep you from hitting the ground.<\/p>\n

I had to think about what my bungee cord might be.<\/p>\n

What’s my bungee cord?<\/h2>\n

The project I’ve been procrastinating around is a new training program for authors. It’s going to take a lot of time to create, and I want the time I invest in this to really pay off. I want this course to make a difference.<\/p>\n

I think you can relate. You want your books to have an impact, too, right?<\/p>\n

So … how can I be certain it won’t fail? What’s my bungee cord?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s two things.<\/p>\n

First, I can beta-test the course before releasing it. Honest, constructive feedback from the people I want to help can make a big difference.<\/p>\n

Second, I can be flexible about the launch date. If feedback tells me I need to make a lot of changes, I want to have enough time to do that . . . and to do it well.<\/p>\n

My bungee cord involves letting the process define the deadlines, rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n

What’s your bungee cord?<\/h2>\n

Do you make sure your bungee cord is attached, too?<\/p>\n

Author bungee cords can involve making sure people are interested in reading what you want to write, but they’re also often quality checks that can include:<\/p>\n