A few weeks ago my husband Michael and I did a crazy (for us) thing: we bought a 1981 Porsche 928.
It’s been Michael’s dream car since he was a teen and saw it sitting in the Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot of his hometown in northern Manitoba. There it stayed, a dream in his head for decades until he drove by Atlantic Euro Cars Inc a couple of weeks before his birthday. There it was out front. Chiffon white. Dark blue leather interior. Working tape deck.
When he walked into our house that day, he was giddy…and a bit apprehensive. Could he make the shift from dreamer to driver?
Debating the answer to that question had him parked for days researching Porsche resale values, conferring with fellow European car enthusiasts and talking to me about the finer points of Porsche engineering, a one-way conversation, to be sure.
Finally, I looked at him and said: “You only need to ask yourself one question: how will you feel when you meet the person who says ‘yes’?”
He bought the car the next day.
After spending so much time stuck in his head, Michael was able to quickly shift his decision-making to focus on what he knew (I don’t want to meet the person who buys that car) rather than what he thought (a jumble of worries and ‘what ifs’).
Making big decisions often leaves us stuck because we fear risking what we have for what we want, even when we know what we have isn’t what we want – and everyone around us knows it too.
Those of us who dream of solving big problems face the same core issue: we’ve got a big mission to fulfill and a small window of opportunity to get it right.
But it’s not the mission that scares us; it’s the open window.
Why? Because we know with certainty what we want to accomplish, but are plagued with uncertainty as to how to get there.
What if we choose the wrong way and end up careening down a path that damages our reputation, inflames public opinion, destroys trusted relationships, drains our finite financial resources, or does some combination of that?
It’s a lot to worry about, and in 2022 that fear isn’t misplaced.
Look at the speed with which Hockey Canada, hospital ERs, and landlords lost public trust this summer.
If it can happen to them, it can happen to us, right?
Maybe, but there’s no way to know with any certainty so why waste another moment thinking about it.
Uncertainty is our constant companion on the road to change. It’s not going anywhere and neither will you if you allow it to drive your change agenda.
Take control of the wheel, go with what you know and commit to learn as you go.
Don’t be the dreamer; be the driver.
Be the person who says yes.
