Don't be afraid to "roll out" your own ideas

Fear is paralyzing and does you more bad than good - in just about every scenario.

For example:

1. You hate your job but you stay there because you are afraid of quitting and doing something else because that "something else" is different and no one else you know is doing it. . .

2. You have business colleagues that you work with that aren't pulling their weight. You are afraid to confront them because you don't like confrontation and don't like ruffling people's feathers so the situation never changes and continues in a downward spiral. . .

3. You're hit with an epiphany for a new business idea but since no one else is doing it you're afraid it won't have merit so you don't pursue it. . .6 months later you see that same idea being pushed by someone else and people are jumping over each other just to be a part of it.

There is a fear in the air right now, but on a much larger scale, because of the condition that the economy finds itself in. Everywhere you turn, newspapers, news shows, blogs, you name it, the talk is. . .people are in fear. Katya Andresen whom we interviewed in 2007 had this on her blog:

"There is still a lot of fear in the air. At my keynote in North Carolina last month, I tried to hit this head-on and encourage nonprofits to face the economic downturn with a sharply defined, well positioned identity that stands out—at a time when it feels safer to stick with the same old, same old. It’s time to take the risk of showing what makes us a different, unique investment". (this applies to the private sector as well. . .)

She then speaks about a post on Harvard Business Online:

In a post at Harvard Business Online, Bill Taylor highlights a Warren Buffet interview on Charlie Rose in which the billionaire investor responds to the question “Should wise people have known better?” in the affirmative, with the note that there’s a natural progression when things go wrong:

Innovation
Imitation
Idiocy

An innovator spots an untapped opportunity; the imitator attempts to capitalize on its merit; finally, explains Taylor, the idiot goes and apes the imitator, and with avarice “undoes the very innovations [he is] trying to use to get rich.”

According to Taylor, avoiding this cycle means developing the ability to distinguish between “genuine innovation” and “mindless imitation.” In other words, he asks, “Are you prepared to walk away from ideas that promise to make money [when] they make no sense?” Taylor, like Buffett, concedes this is easier said than done when you see competition heading in a particular direction and fear you’ll never catch up if you don’t join the charge. It takes discipline, notes Taylor, to remain conscious of the difference—taking advantage of innovation without getting caught up in the idiocy.

The Point: “Don’t use the financial crisis as an excuse to stop taking chances or downsize your ambitions,” says Taylor. “But do use the crisis as an opportunity to take stock of what really matters—and to stop looking over your shoulder.”

As I initially posited, being fearful is a serious detriment to you. Don't be afraid to roll out your own ideas or have your own thoughts. Doing what everyone else does only sets you back and doesn't allow you to be who you want to be or allow you to go where you want to go.