Why It’s Absolutely Okay To Give Fear The Boot

Me, considering whether to ride on this boat… or not.

Have you ever done something against your better judgement? Well, this is me before I said yes to riding on a boat with a hole in the floor. Yes, a sizable hole visible to the naked eye.

But first, you might be wondering what I was thinking, agreeing to this. Why would anyone take a day trip on that boat with a hole, thousands of miles away from home, many miles out to sea, with non-English speaking captains?

I just jumped aboard! Well, not quite.

I had been warned about the dangerous, rickety boats taking tourists on day trips and was strongly encouraged to not get on any boat that looked even the least bit shady. So seeing the hole in this boat - my first reaction was, oh great. I’m so outta here. A woman, traveling solo in Indonesia, I’d better play it safe.

At first I absolutely refused to go on board. It was 6am after all, and a few hours more of sleep was sounding like a much better option.

As I was trying to explain my refusal to the captains - I’m pretty sure they were chuckling at my objections - the guy who sold me the tour (and spoke fluent English) came to see what the commotion was all about. I explained the situation and said if he agreed to go along with me on the boat ride then I would go, too. He readily agreed to go, answered all my questions, and showed me what was underneath the hole (many more boards and flooring) to calm my nerves.

And so the 2 captains, the sales guy, and I were off. After all, the day’s agenda was too good to pass up - pink sand beaches, a hike to see a white, pink, and black sand beach (all at once!), and komodo dragons!

Looking back, this decision was definitely against my “better” initial judgement and there were times on the boat ride where I feared, well... the very worst. I constantly had to remind myself that I was safe, to enjoy the moment, and to release my fear.

That day was an adventure of a lifetime. And I made three new Indonesian friends. And to think I wouldn’t have had this experience had I given into my fear. Instead, I chose to take a risk, trust people, and allow my curiosity and open mindedness to win.

By no means am I advocating to make non-calculated, dangerous travel decisions (or any type of decision for that matter). This decision was very calculated, friends. In fact, I deliberated so long we were an hour late leaving the port! I weighed every single pro/con, asked the sales guy a gazillion questions, and analyzed whether I was willing to miss out on the experience of a lifetime.

So what are you thinking about passing up because you’re scared of the outcome, process, or result? Go straight to the root of your fear - is it fear of failure, not knowing exactly what you’re doing, or having a less than desirable outcome?

Sometimes, with a little smart thinking, we need to do exactly the opposite of what fear is telling us. So, how about telling fear to take a hike already?

I’d love to hear from you. What calculated risk are you going to take this week? Post in the comments below!

P.S. Photos from the day… pretty cool huh. And if you know of anyone that could use a little help with fear, please pass this post along!

About Holly

Holly works with professionals to create services-based businesses using expertise and strengths they already have. Holly is the creator of The Consultant Code, a program will have you up, running, and profitable with your services-based business in 60 days or less! Want to learn more? Drop her a note at: holly@hollyknoll.com