Let me guess, you think I’m going to say you. You’re holding yourself back! We’ve all heard that before and it’s true. We also know that fear is a monster who holds us. A big fear, specifically, is failure. Today I want to challenge you, though, because I think when we get honest with ourselves, we are less afraid of failure and more afraid of what people will think of us if we fail.

I want to challenge you again, because I think a lot of us are afraid of what SPECIFIC people will think of us if we fail.

Maybe it’s your mother-in-law or grandfather. But in our overly-exposed-online culture I bet it’s your ex-bestfriend from high school. Or the coworker you compete with who stalks you online.

Let this sink in for a minute: Are you letting a handful of people, some who are completely random and irrelevant to your life, keep you from reinventing your career? changing your life? starting your own business? 

Now you’re squirming in your seat a bit, right? Because it’s insane that we do this to ourselves! In our heads, we’ve given one, two, maybe ten people, or a specific group of people, authority over our hustle. We are insane. We’ve lost it. Why do we care what Sally from high school and Bob from Sales think?! 

I know this can be hard to shake, especially if you care deeply about what your family members think. I’m not saying we should disregard wise counsel. If everyone you love is telling you not to jump off the cliff, perhaps you should slowly back away from said cliff. But if you’re hesitating because of someone who rants on your newsfeed or “likes” every photo you post, are they worth it? Is the opinion of that person, even an in-law, worth staying in a life you don’t love? Worth staying on a hot, dry ledge and missing out on the oasis that awaits after you take the leap? The mission you were created for?  

You know the answer. Take back your brain today. No more thoughts about crazy high school friends or coworkers. Take back your privacy by blocking a few people or hiding them from your view. Ain’t no body got time for that. You’re on the ledge today and I’m telling you right now, (mentally) punch all those people in the face and jump. Your dream is worth it.