Preparing for Takeoff
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure”
- Pablo Coehlo, The Alchemist
I’m Jake. How’s it going? Whether or not we’ve met before, I’m grateful you’re here and taking some time to read my blog.
Throughout my journey, I have benefitted and grown from learning about others – their challenges and their triumphs, the goals they’ve set and what they’ve done to achieve them. I plan to use this space to share more about myself, about my progress and my vulnerability, with the goal of delivering readers a sense of who I am and what I believe a successful coaching engagement can make possible.
Though it is early days in this journey, I have already made the big leap, leaving full-time employment to build something for myself. The decision to make this change did not come easily. It was the product of years of inner work, weekly therapy and coaching sessions, trying to identify where I might find more fulfillment.
For the most part, what was required to be an effective marketer came to me naturally - yet after 7 years in the space, there had been only a handful of days where I had felt truly fulfilled in my work. I felt the absence of fulfillment as an issue in need of solving, and leaned heavily on both my coach and therapist to think through two key objectives:
Discover where else I might find more purpose in my work
Develop the confidence to make a change
On this first point, my coach offered some wisdom that cut to the core of the objective. “Just because you’re good at something,” he said, “doesn’t mean that’s what you’re meant to be doing.” His words catalyzed a period of self-reflection, and encouraged me to consider new options, new alternatives, new possibilities for myself.
A quick back-of-envelope calculation showed me that I’ve spent 400+ hours in therapy and coaching sessions over the course of nearly a decade. It has not always been easy, but I’m deeply committed to doing the work. But through the work, I have learned that self-discovery is one thing, and action is another. In other words, uncovering deep truths, and opportunities to break patterns, is only half the battle – nothing truly changes without execution.
Which brings us to the second objective, making change.
While I was still working my last job, I attended a coaching training. On the final day of the training, one of the instructors pulled me aside for an impromptu coaching session. I was initially confused, because there was a larger group exercise happening at the time. She explained that she had heard some of my comments in an earlier session, and those comments signaled to her that she wanted to hold space for me, to coach me. I took full advantage of this unexpected opportunity, sharing that I was up against big questions about my future, that I wanted more fulfillment in my career, but that a fear of failure was holding me back from taking a necessary leap into the unknown.
This coach, who knew nothing about me beyond what I had shared, imparted wisdom that both inspired confidence to make a change and showcased the power of coaching more generally. Her wisdom was delivered as a question: “would you rather be dangerous and alive, or safe and dead?”
Nearly a decade of inner work led to this moment. In the form of a question, I realized that I had prioritized safety and self-preservation, doing what I was good at, and not what I was meant to be doing - at the cost of finding true fulfillment. These lessons from two coaches empowered me push forward despite my fear, instead of remaining stagnant because of it.
My mind goes to the proverb, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I have set out on this thousand-mile journey, “dangerous and alive,” inspired and excited by new-found purpose. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a little fear, but now I see that fear as healthy – it is a reminder that I am pushing myself beyond self-imposed limits.
Taking these steps on my thousand-mile journey comes from a desire to help others, those who are inspired to push through their own obstacles in service of becoming the best versions of themselves.
In closing, I offer some questions to contemplate and reflect:
What does your journey, or your primary goal look like?
Have you taken the first step on your journey? If not, what’s holding you back?
What challenges or feelings are in the way of where you are now and where you want to be?
What would you need to feel more “dangerous and alive”?
What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
If the contents of this blog post resonated, I’d love to speak with you, and to learn more about your own journey. If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to book time with me on my website or shoot me an email at jake@jakelanger.com.
Warmly,
Jake Langer
