Lose Yourself …

Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted. one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?
– Eminem, Lose Yourself

Did you know that several world champion race car drivers, athletes, famous actors, musicians, and speakers often get so worked up that they vomit before competition or a performance?

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
– Eminem, Lose Yourself

Sometimes it happens DURING a match. The time the legendary Tennis star Pete Sampras lost his lunch with the match tied 1-1 of the fifth set of the 1996 US Open comes to mind. He went on to beat Alex Corretja. The win would be his eighth Grand Slam and fourth US Open Win in five years.
Fear … so powerful that it can talk us out of almost anything.
I know that I’m going to do something important when I get nervous about it. When I start thinking about every possible thing that I could do instead of this bigger thing. Sometimes, those other activities come wrapped up with some sort of instant gratification.
Today I had that nervous and uneasy feeling all day long.
I still think that I can go farther, but I can tell you that I’m in uncharted waters for me.
As I contemplate continuing to work on this Paper Napkin Project, I find myself recoiling – talking myself out of getting it done.
Sometimes I tell myself that there are more important things to do – and that’s sort of true. There are more urgent things that need my attention, but I’m not sure that there’s anything more important.
Important because it is the change I want so desperately to be in the world. I hope to share this with other Entrepreneurs, Leaders, and Difference-Makers so we can together BE the change we want to see in the world.
I remember working with a group of incredible leaders in an incredible program put on by the Entrepreneurs Organization called Leadership Academy. During one of our brainstorming sessions, Fran Biderman-Gross, who would become a great Mentor to me, encouraged our group to verbalize that we wanted to “save the world, one entrepreneur at a time.
[Tweet “We can “save the world, one entrepreneur at a time.””]
Don’t worry. I can hear the voices out there that say how egotistical, self-serving, and vain it is that I could be a part of something like this. You see, I hear the voices reminding us all that I am an imperfect entrepreneur, that I have fallen many times.
Indeed I have. I have not done it all …
That’s only half the story though, because I have gotten back up again and faced my fears each and every time.
Today I needed to breath deep to get this work started … get this first phase complete. To share it with some people I deeply respect.
Today I lost myself in the moment. I told those voices in my head to go away and a surprising new voice came in to help me.
It was a soft voice that encouraged me to keep going. It too came from within me.
So, today, I faced my fears …
I took a one little step in the direction of my dreams … and it scares me.
[Tweet “I took a one little step in the direction of my dreams … and it scares me.”]

So here I go it’s my shot.
Feet, fail me not, this may be the only opportunity that I got
– Eminem, Lose Yourself
 

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