Doubt is an extraordinary thing — especially when starting a business. Remember in The Matrix when Neo tries to jump across the buildings for the first time? The jump program. “No one makes their first jump,” they say. But still some people are rooting for Neo in the background. Trinity is rooting for him. Morpheus and Mouse are rooting for him. The balled dickhead is even kind of rooting for him — hoping he can do the impossible. And why? Because they believe in him — they believe that he will succeed.
Neo aka Mr. Anderson at this point, doubts that he can accomplish the task at hand — jumping from one building to the next — essentially flying. Impossible. “Oke doke, free your mind,” he says half-assedly. It’s the same thing when starting a business. You are attempting the impossible and thus a certain defense mechanism aka Doubt aka Fear aka Potentially Shitting Your Pants creeps into your psyche and you’re left with a lot of scary questions.
What if I fail? What if I ruin my credibility? What if I get in too deep on a project that I can’t deliver on? What if I ask for too much money? What if I can’t pay my rent? What if my savings dries up before I can get this off the ground and I end up on the street selling my body for cheesy gordita crunches? #doubt #delicious
But then Neo psychs himself up; he starts sprinting toward the edge of a 100 story building and leaps off after seeing Morpheus successfully leap and land on the other side. He leaps and for a moment he’s like “I’m doing it! I got this! Ain’t nobody gonna get this ass for tacos!” But — in the next moment, he falls. And it’s honestly a terrifying fall. You’re like that’s it — see ya my dude! The machines are gonna win. Adios!
But thankfully the street pavement doesn’t kill him; it morphs and catches him like a net and all he’s left with is a healthy 15-foot fall and a solid thud. A learning moment. Doubt is the enemy. His response is simply to get up and train. And he trains hard. And he becomes stronger and more emo and more badass and by the end of The Matrix, Neo can fucking fly. He literally launches off into the air and flies away like a leathery emo Superman before cutting to the film’s credits. How? Because his belief in himself becomes undeniable to himself.
“Don’t think you can — know you can.”
Starting a business is similar to that moment standing on top of a skyscraper. You have a small team of believers wanting you to achieve the impossible. Some are standing on the roof with you — almost coaching you like Morpheus, while others are watching from afar. There are believers and non-believers — but the believer that matters the most is yourself.
Another thought to take with you is Neo leaps and falls even when he is in doubt. Which means falling is ok. Falling happens to everyone starting something new — because it’s never been done before! Which is why keeping the believers close by and the non-believers far away is integral to success. And by strengthening yourself, your doubt will be displaced. And soon enough you and your business will be stopping bullets and saving the world just like Neo. Hopefully, a little less emo, but ya know what, you do you.
Check out my new business, Tallboy Agency here.
