Written by “I feel like I have done it all, I have made all of the mistakes and now I am fearless.“
– Paraphrased from an interview with Barak Obama on Marc Maron’s podcast WTF.
It is not possible to be completely without fear, it is a natural part of being alive. Another way of looking at it is being comfortable with being uncomfortable.
This is how one day Obama decided he is going to run for president. He had to get used to putting himself in places that not feel comfortable, situations that were scary. The only way to move forward and pursue his goal is to decide feeling scared or uncomfortable is ok. He can sit with that feeling and get his message out into the world.
It is possible to be your own eye in a storm. The tempest may be swirling, but you can remain steady, secure and centred.
Fearlessness isn’t about ignoring feelings; it is about feeling that no matter what happens you will make the right choice.
Communicating with a community or audience works in the same way. The message should be the same, regardless of what is happening around it. The context and the delivery may change, but the values should be consistent.
Be fearless with your message. That means showing up and putting it out there. Sometimes there is negative feedback or low open rates for a newsletter. Does this mean change tack and go with a totally new approach? If it isn’t working make adjustments to the delivery, but leave the core message intact.
Do not let the situation or output change the core message, allow it to be the eye in the storm of marketing and promotion. Stay true to the message and the message will persevere.
Storytelling Built For Innovation 