Starting a business can be pretty risky, so people like to start a side hustle because it feels safer to have the security and the income of your job while you’re building your business. Plus it gives you time to work out the kinks and slowly make more money until your business takes off.

Our brains are wired to perceive anything that is foreign or different in our environments as a threat. While that was useful over two hundred thousand years ago because it meant we could react when it came to being chased by lions, tigers, and bears - Oh My! As modern men and women, we still have this response even though we don’t have the same kinds of threats in our environment. What that also means is that we may be overly focused on the negative, for the wrong reasons.

“Does this fear mean I should go for it or does it mean I shouldn’t?” - People often ask me this.

Truth is we’re going to feel fear no matter what we’re moving towards because change is scary. Some of it has to do with the fact that we’re jumping into something unknown. And a lot of it has to do with the fact that we are naturally hardwired to resist it. When we’re making any change, whether it’s in our career or personal life, it’s important to understand whether our fear means “Yes, go for it!” or “Definitely no, cancel that!”

Many people believe that once they are in an unfulfilling job or career path, that they should either stick it out or get used to this as their new reality. They do this for the sake of stability, reliability, and the safety net of retirement. The thought behind this is that they have a belief that: 1) you can’t get paid well for doing something you actually like OR 2) you can’t enjoy both the work you do and get paid well for it because that’s an unrealistic and overly optimist dream - something for the youth.

Years ago, I experienced what I later discovered to be an anxiety attack. For days I had an uncomfortable tightness in my chest, shortness of breath, and insomnia. I finally decided to go get it checked out. I spent an entire afternoon in the hospital, where they ran tests, and took samples to give me the diagnosis: “There’s nothing wrong with you, all the tests show you’re clear. Are you under a lot of stress?” 

When we’re jumping into something new, it's normal and even at times expected to be excited. That’s a good thing! Take note, however, that there are two types of excitement associated with a new or bigger career opportunity. Dr. John Demartini does a great job at describing these, and I’ll try my best to summarize this for you.

I’m a lucky gal to know a fair share of talented people and something I’ve learnt consistently through the years is that no matter how accomplished we are and how much we’ve achieved, it’s almost impossible to get rid of our feelings of self-doubt.