Playing it safe is probably the worst thing you can do as an entrepreneur.
You adopted the play-it-safe strategy to survive and thrive in your corporate job. At the beginning, it was a conscious choice. Somewhere along the way, it became an unconscious habit. Now, this habit is getting in the way of you becoming a nimble, resilient, and resourceful entrepreneur.
Before unpacking this, let’s have a little fun.
Think of an animal that you think is “bold and courageous.” Got one in mind? Good. Write that one down. Now, think of an animal you consider to be timid and shy. Got one in mind? Great. Write that down. Set these aside for now, we’ll come back to them in a moment.
How’s this habit serving you now that you’re an entrepreneur?
Your play-it-safe habit helped you navigate the corporate waters.
It was an essential survival skill in that setting, because you never knew what lay below the “waterline” The thing is, playing-it-safe is playing small, especially as an entrepreneur. The more you continue playing small, the slower your progress.
The standard advice is: Be bolder! Put yourself out there! Take risks!
It takes awareness and practice to develop these new habits.
You’ll have to unlearn the play-it-safe strategy that you perfected.
When you choose entrepreneurship, you decided on some version of: I’m tired of playing it safe.
Ask yourself: how is playing safe helping you build your business right now? You probably came up with several answers. Awesome. Write those down for future reference. You are wondering: what do you do with this now? How do I change this?
I like tapping into imagination to help with that. It’s time for those animals you thought of earlier. Take a moment on these questions. Use the animals you thought of above.
I encourage you to write your answers out for these, too.
Having fun will help you unlearn your play-it-safe habits quicker.
It seems silly to think of timid and bold animals to figure out how to show up differently. Being silly is exactly the point. Consider this: actors use a similar technique to imbue the characters they create with different layers.
They’re onto something. Why NOT tap into your imagination to help you develop a new habit? Being silly and fun is a tried and true pathway to access your imagination.
When you notice you’re playing safe in your business next time, remind yourself of your bold animal. Pay attention to the energy and motivation you can access. Ride that energy to play bigger in your business.
Is there more to changing this habit (and others)?
You bet there is! We all know that changing habits take time and energy. This imagination exercise is a great way to help you notice how often your old habit shows up.
The more often you notice the more often you can choose your new behavior. The more often you choose the new behavior the more often you’re playing bigger in your business.
I’d love to hear what animals came to mind for you! Email me at pierre at pierre dot bradette dot com to share.
To your success,
Pierre
Certified Professional Coach
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