If You Have a Plan B, You Aren’t Committed to Making Plan A Success
If it doesn’t work, then what?
Last night’s free November coaching call brought up this basic fear that everyone faces when they are considering a change. Switching jobs, quitting your job and starting a business, moving – anything that feels like it is permanent. That it cannot be undone. The scariest part is the idea of what if it doesn’t work. If you feel like doors close behind you, then what?
But that is what life is. It doesn’t stay the same ever. And yes, when you choose to walk away from something it may not be there for you if you want to go back. But who is to say there isn’t something better in front of you?
You have to decide – to commit – that you are going to just keep working and trying things until you get what you want. Sure, it may take a few iterations. But if you quit – if you give up – then it’s failure. If you don’t give up, you’re just in process.
Starting a business with the thought “what will I do if it doesn’t work” gives you permission to quit. If it gets hard and things aren’t clicking, then you can just give up. But if you’re going to start a business, you might as well decide to start a successful business, which means you don’t quit when things aren’t working. It means you learn what you can, tweak your approach, and try something new.
Basically, don’t have a plan B. Don’t hold on to what you can slide back into. Because there are going to be days that are really uncomfortable and sliding back to the familiar – even if you didn’t like it – will seem like a good idea. This is why couples who are divorced will sometimes get remarried. And then divorced again.
This idea – of no plan B – is easier to say than do. Make sure when you dive in with your whole self and commit to what you are doing, that you have know how to take care of yourself and have some helpful people around who can talk you through and make you laugh. I rely heavily on my friends to make me laugh and push me back out in the world all the time!
I would love to hear about a time you thought you were facing something scary like that and it turned out to be a great move. I love to have stories to share when people are struggling with this. Drop yours in the comments below.