A friend was telling me about his amazing five-year-old daughter. This child of a Chinese father and Thai mother, Mimi already speaks three languages (Mandarin, Thai, and English) and will be enrolled in a Spanish-language immersion school come next fall. Not only is she a polyglot, but she has an incredible grasp of numbers already and has an insatiable curiosity about… well… everything!
Brilliant as she is, there are certain things that Mimi is hesitant about. For example, she is scared of the deep end of the pool. Another example is that she is quite shy and doesn’t like talking to “strangers” – unfortunately, that has sometimes included making new friends at school.
To try to address these fears, her dad asked her a simple question: What would you do if you were unafraid?
That was easy for Mimi to answer. About the swimming pool, she told her daddy that she would jump off the side of the pool right into the deep end. As for making new friends, she would invite one of her classmates over for a playdate.
What would your answer be to the question: What would you do if you were unafraid?
Would you invite someone you admire to join you for coffee? Would you go after a new opportunity? Would you ask your manager for funding to explore an innovative idea?
What’s the harm in trying? What’s the worst thing that could happen?
As for Mimi, she conquered her fears. That little girl in her pre-K class came over to swim in Mimi’s pool last week. She looked on as Mimi donned her water wings and jumped right in to the deep end.
What would you do if you were unafraid? What are you waiting for?
Happy Networking!