A client sent me a message one day that changed my life. He told me that he had just heard about captive insurance and wanted to see what I thought about opening a captive for his business. I had never heard of captive insurance but I told him I would look into it for him. The more I read, the more incredulous I became. I got back to my client, telling him it seemed too good to be true. He was adamant that this was the future for his business, he was adamant that I should be the one to help him. Looking back now, it seems like an easy choice. Captive insurance changed the course of my career; it changed the lives of so many of my clients. However, on that day, this was not an easy decision. This was standing at the precipice, staring down the unknown; this was fear.
Fear is an incredible motivator. If you are in the woods at night, a snapping twig will make the hair on your neck stand up and spin you around. Where so many people falter is when they choose flight over trying something new. Your nerves might fill your palms with sweat before huge moments, before you propose, before your first child is born, before you are ready for the best things in your life. If you run, you risk throwing away the greatest opportunities. When I started my business, there were voices telling me all the ways that it could fail. Was this something that I could really do? What if this really was too good to be true? Something I try to instill in aspiring entrepreneurs is that the unknown is always what scares us the most and the unknown can be conquered. We conquer it with a thirst for knowledge. We conquer it not by retreating but by jumping into the darkness.
If you want to succeed in business, it can help to find something that excites your nerves. The comfortable and the easy are rarely going to be the most fulfilling options. I am a lifelong learner because the alternative is to grow stagnant. If you are not growing, you are dying. I think about my client’s message often. Who would I be right now if I succumbed to my fear? I know that I would still be happy but I would not be where I am today. Do not let fear rule you; let it tell you that you are approaching something intimidating and embrace it.
If you are interested in breaking through to undiscovered potential in your business, please contact my office. We are here to bring you to new heights. Visit my website and see for yourself: https://www.peterjstrauss.com/