Without taking action and placing our money where our mouth is we can’t bring about change. This change that we seek is inspired by our personal values and beliefs so why are we so tentative about make that leap from idea into action.
Taking action is so daunting because it is ultimately a commitment. It may not be the first or second step in an operation but there is always a tipping point, a step where the project gains momentum and begins to drive itself.
At that point deadlines become self-imposing. It becomes a matter of necessity to get things completed on a timeline rather than or arbitrary preference and convenience. This is the point that sparks all-nighters and the anxiety that is inherent to any deadline based task.
That commitment is intimidating. From that tipping point forwards you can no longer decide to close up and just walk away. It becomes a matter of not only logistics but also emotional investment. The logistical aspect of the issue is the time that it demands and the sheer volume of work that springs up unforeseen. All of this extra work is what inspires emotional investment. As much as you may think you care about an idea in theory that is nothing compared to how you feel after hours and hours of your time has been sunk into something. It becomes not only about the issue but about your own involvement in the project and how the progress reflects your capabilities. To see an idea fail, though not the end of the world can easily feel like it. After all that effort it becomes a matter of not pride but self-worth.
This tie to the concept of self-esteem and self-worth is what I believe holds a lot of us back, more so than the more physical organisational issues. The reason we entertain the idea of making changes or starting something with the intention of impact is because we feel that we have the ability to succeed. Failure is always an acknowledged possibility but its never the focus, that is why this emotional investment can be so degrading and intimidating. The looming potential of failure threatens that surety in our abilities, it threatens one of the key driving forces behind our ambition.
The first issue to overcome is never the problem itself but the dread of a potential error caused in the wake of attempts. This dread is arguably worse than an actual problem because it prevents us from taking that first step and with out that step being taken we cannot learn, grow or succeed.
Taking action and making that commitment to a project is ultimately a gamble no matter how organised an individual may be.
The Nuclear Alternative 