01.26.10
Stepping Out on Faith
I had a dinner party last night with two young musicians who recently moved to the D.C. area. They had been based in Atlanta, but kept getting gigs in and near Washington, so they packed up and headed north and are now building a following in a new town.
As they talked about all the different kinds of gigs they’ve been offered, the pitfalls of some of the pay arrangements that are out there for musicians, the fact that part-time musicians who perform for free because they have full-time jobs to support them make it tough for full-time musicians to earn a living, it became clear that none of that stood in the way of their plan to rely solely on their music.
“There’s only Plan A,” Steve said. “If you have a Plan B it gets in the way of the dream and you never get to Plan A.”
He and his partner Kim never said the route they chose was smooth, that they expected things to come together quickly and easily, but they are musicians and it is their intention to be musicians, full time, every day.
Just a few days earlier, I was at a meeting with a small group of people who decided 2010 was going to be the year of reinvention for them. They were going to break out from the confines of previous jobs and begin to do what they love. A few had been bought out or laid off. One person was walking away from 30 years in one industry to pursue a completely unrelated career. Another was doing what she loved and she was intent on continuing it without going back to an office job to make ends meet as she grew in her new vocation.
In all these cases, folks acknowledged their fears – not having enough money, losing the sense of identity that comes with a longtime career, dealing with the opinons of people who don’t support the dream – but they also committed to releasing the fear and not being deterred from their goals.
As someone who often has coached people to move gradually to Plan A, with Plan B in their pockets, I began to wonder if that might be a disservice. Perhaps, the question to answer is why not focus only on Plan A?
What is your fear? That you might be happier? That you will discover what you are truly capable of? That you might succeed?
Rather than let the fear keep you from trying, rather than dip your toe in the water instead of jumping or wading in, perhaps it is time to take the plunge.
At the very least, it is time to be open to the possibility that you can have what you want if you go for it. What has methodical, even excessive, caution gotten you?
Perhaps it’s time to step out on faith and take care of the business of you.
