Reinvent Yourself: Why You Should Do It Scared and Do It Anyway! | How to Take Action in the Midst of Your Fears

Have you felt apprehensive about making that leap into something new as you reinvent yourself?

Ever talk yourself out of it because you're scared of how things might unfold and where you'll land?

I've been there before. In fact, more  times than I'd like to admit. 😉

But every time I muster the courage to take that leap toward something, it always works out.

I'm stronger and braver than I think and SO ARE YOU.

When we "do it scared" - whatever that "it" is for you - we open up a world of possibilities to learn and grow in new and empowering ways.

And don't you agree that doing it scared is better than not doing it at all? 😁

Season 5's theme is simple - Do It Scared and Do It Anyway!

In this episode, I'm breaking down the "Do It Scared" mindset to help move you along your reinvention path. And I'm spilling the beans on my own do it scared gremlins that have held me back in the past (happily, not so much anymore!)

Tune in to learn:

✳️ What it means to "do it scared" (it's not as daunting as you think!)
✳️ Why acknowledging our fears is so important
✳️ Why you need both a compelling "why" AND the ability to do it scared to realize your dreams
✳️ How I've worked through my own do it scared mindset
✳️ Two questions to get you into action as you reinvent yourself

There's lots of inspiration in this short episode to get you thinking about how to do it scared.

And it's a preview of my Do It Scared Toolkit that I'll be sharing in a few weeks!

Ready to take a leap in your reinvention journey and remind yourself that you're braver than you think?

This do it scared reinvention episode is for you!

Mentioned in this episode:

• Reinventing My 60s: Do It Scared! - How I Launched a Live Podcast and Empower Older Adults to See New Possibilities with Wendy Green
• Reinventing My 50s: Travel, Self-Discovery and Empowerment with Erica Bradley

******
Please Share What You Loved

Your feedback means everything to me! If you enjoyed this episode please rate and review on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Castbox or leave a comment at reinventionrebels.com

Please spread the word! Let's encourage more women to unapologetically embrace their Inner Reinvention Rebel and boldly pursue their wildest dreams.

******
Let's Stay in Touch!

Visit me at reinventionrebels.com
Check out other things I'm up to here: http://linktr.e

Midlife women ready to reinvent themselves start with being curious about what's possible. Download my free audio, 5 Questions to Spark Your Curiosity & Inspire Your Reinvention Rebel Journey to get started today. 

Transcript

Wendy: You have more courage than you may believe. You have a do-it-scared muscle. We all do, it's inside all of us. The question is, are you willing to lean in and activate it to pursue your dreams, to reinvent yourself, to decide now is my time to shine. Today, we're talking all about what it means to do it scared and move toward our dreams. 

[Reinvention Rebels Theme Music]

Welcome to Reinvention Rebels, stories of brave and unapologetic women, 50 to 90 years young, who have boldly reimagined life on their own terms to find new purpose and possibilities. I'm your host, Wendy Battles. Ready for a dose of inspiration? Let's get to it.

Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Reinvention Rebels podcast. I'm Wendy, host of a top 2% ranked podcast globally, and I am so glad you're right here with me. If you're brand new to the podcast, welcome aboard, this is the place to come for inspiration and motivation to reinvent yourself in new, ingenious, and satisfying ways. I love introducing amazing women between 50 and 90 that are doing just that, reinventing themselves in cool and remarkable ways, and sharing lots of insights about how we can get started on our own reinvention journey. 

Today, we're talking about why you should do it scared? But first, did you check out last week's episode, kicking off the new season with the amazing Wendy Green? Her story is all about branching out, doing something new, and doing it scared just what we're talking about. Check out the link in the show notes to soak up her abundant reinvention wisdom and listen into her story. She did it. I'm of the belief that any of us can do it too. We're simply doing it in our own way, on our own terms. So, these next two episodes, this one and the next one in a couple of weeks are all about leaning into this idea of doing it scared, deconstructing it, understanding it, and figuring out some simple ways that we can move forward with reinventing ourselves in the midst of our fears. Yup, we are giving this idea of doing it scared laser focus. After all, that is theme of this season, do it scared and do it anyway. 

We all have fears, but if we want to actually realize our dreams, and reinvent ourselves, we need to learn to acknowledge them and also make forward progress. We can't let our fears derail us from those big juicy dreams we have. You have a great calling, you have skills, you've got talent, and vision and those are all needed in the world. So, are you ready to kick fear to the curb? Or at least learn how to coexist with it so you can get on with what you are truly meant to be? 

[music]

Today, we're talking two things the what and the why about doing it scared. What does it actually mean to "do it scared?" It's funny because my friend Erica, who was on episode 3 of the podcast way back in season 1 was talking about why it's so important that we do things scared, that we want to just get out there and we want to do it. I'm going to link to that episode in the show notes so you can take a listen for yourself. The reality is that doing it scared means different things to different people. And I want to share a few of my gremlins when it comes to this like what can get in the way for me? The first thing is, I don't have all the answers. I like certainty, but as we know, life is filled with uncertainty, so there's no guarantee of anything. But doing it scared for me means I've got to be okay with not knowing all the answers that I've embraced it might not go exactly as I expect, but that's okay. The key for me is also then about trusting it will work out even though I'm not sure how. That's number one. 

Number two, I may not "do it right," whatever that means, but it's okay. I've accepted that when I have an idea or a dream, in order to get going, I have to let go of the perfectionist qualities that I've spent many years developing in order to actually get into action because there have been times when I've let that hold me back from actually getting started, and other times I've said, what the hell? I just jumped in with both feet and did things in an imperfect way. Didn't mean it wasn't scary, but I still chose to move forward with it. Like when I decided I was going to become a voice actor, I really had no idea what I was doing. It was based on people saying, "Wendy, you've got a great voice." I made a demo tape and I literally jumped into it, not even having a roadmap. And I made some mistakes along the way, but I didn't let that stop me.

There are times when it feels uncomfortable and I do it anyway. And that third, what for me about doing it scared, what does that mean is that there's often something bigger than myself at play. You can call it intuition, or Spirit, or God, whatever that may be for you. When I have that feeling that I'm meant to do something even though I'm scared, if I feel like it's coming from a place of a calling or it's more mission driven, then I can be okay with that. And I can still get started and do it scared, but feel like I'm moving forward. Doing it scared also means that I'm more scared of not doing it and regretting it than the fear I have of going for it. I don't want to have regrets years later, I don't want to say, what if? What if I had just done X? So, I use that as a big motivator when it comes to reinventing myself and getting into action. So that's the what. What does it mean to me to do it scared? It often means those three things. 

I don't have all the answers, I might not do it right, and I have to get over being perfectionist and that there's something bigger than myself at play. So, those things make it easier for me to get started. But I also think that we need to have this greater why for what we're doing. I believe it's a combination of both these things. Understanding what being a scared means to you and then why you want to do something that are going to make it easier to get started and to keep going when it comes to reinventing yourselves. Why do you want to do whatever it is you're dreaming of? When I became a health coach, I have to tell you I was motivated by unhappiness. I didn't live my corporate job, I was grieving the death of my father and honestly something felt missing and I wasn't in a good space. I did a lot of searching, and I worked with a career coach, but honestly, it wasn't for the right reasons that I became a health coach, which of course I couldn't see at the time and I could see later on with perspective.

At the time, I think what I needed was some kind of escape mechanism. I wanted to get away from what I was doing and I thought this was the way to go. What manifested is that I didn't have a clear and compelling why. Even though I did take that leap to actually do it, and I did it scared, got to give myself a little credit for that. My heart was never fully in it. I let uncertainty and perfectionism get the better of me and I believe you need both that desire to do it scared and a why that keeps you focused on that goal. It's that one two punch that can really make a difference when we're moving toward our dreams. Now contrast that with now, my current reinvention as a podcast host. My why came from within. It bubbled up one day and I heard Reinvention Rebels, when I had been in this seeking mode, but it really stemmed from the desire to be of service and to inspire others. It was definitely bigger than me. It was a compelling why, that alone bolstered my confidence. Combine that with a new sense of fearlessness. I readily embraced a do-it-scared mindset, I wanted to go for it because it felt right. 

Those things that had been scary in the past for quite a bit a little bit, but they weren't to the same extent. And I also had this knowing again, that why I had this knowing that was just what I was meant to do. It was much easier to operate in a do it scared mindset than before. I'll say I was completely okay with having fun, making mistakes, asking for help, and other things that I hadn't been fully able to embrace before. I learned that doing it scared with a clear why is so freeing, it's empowering. It makes it easier to step out in this way where we're trusting and we have faith and it helped me to expand and grow. I think generally it helps us to live on purpose. So, what is your why? What does doing it scared look like for you? It's different for each of us. I'd love for you to noodle on these questions. I know that some of us can more readily flex our courage muscle than others.

In a few weeks, I'm going to share a simple toolkit to help you build your do-it-scared muscle. The more that you can do it, the easier it will be when you're ready to reinvent yourself, whether it's in a teeny tiny way or a huge expansive way. It doesn't really matter about how when you feel like you can do it. In the meantime, if you're looking for some inspiration be sure to download my audio five questions to spark your curiosity and inspire your Reinvention Rebel journey.

[music]

All right, people that's it. We're starting out with our "What does it look like to me, when I'm doing it scared," and "Our why to start this conversation about how we can do it scared." I cannot wait for you to join me next time for a part 2 where we can work on building our do-it-scared toolkit. Until next time, keep shining your light, the world needs you and all that you have to offer.

Hey, rebel if this episode inspired you to think about what's possible in your life, I'll share a little secret. Any of us can reinvent ourselves no matter where we are in our lives, any age, any stage. We just have to decide to get started. Here's a super simple way for you to get going with your reinvention dreams. Download my audio, five questions to spark your curiosity and inspire your reinvention journey. I share five key questions that will spur your thinking, help you uncover your dreams, and motivate you to take action. Because if not now, when? Details in the show notes. Let's get inspired together.

[Transcript provided by SpeechDocs Podcast Transcription]