Don't Fear the Crash

Go ahead, crash. Not your car, maybe not even your motorcycle, but crash something. Make a phone call you're afraid to make, set up a shoot you're uncomfortable doing, go too damn fast on your bike, whatever. Odds are, if you're working at the edge of your comfort zone or beyond, you'll blow it. Good. Your comfort zone just got bigger.

As an athlete I long ago got comfortable with the risk of blowing up, even facing injuries, setbacks and doing recovery time. That's the price to pay for pushing the boundaries in a sport. I'm trying to embrace the same philosophy as an independent artist. Here's what I've learned about crashing:

1. It's cathartic.

2. You can get good at it.

3. Every time you find the edge of control and push past it, you actually move the edge.

4. You can't move the edge if you don't know where it is.

As I move forward with building my business, I know I'll run squarely into some challenges that will make me uncomfortable, nervous or even downright scared. What's my plan for dealing with these situations? Full speed ahead. Worst thing that can happen is I crash and burn, and I'm just fine with that.