You’re Fearless When You Know What to Expect

Has fear ever held you back from doing something that you REALLY, REALLY want to do?

Maybe from showing up Live on Social, joining a club or putting out a new offer?

There was a time when I almost let fear stop me from doing something I was dying to do – travel abroad solo – and the same tactics that let me travel solo fearlessly, also helped me grow my business.

In my 20s (and early 30’s), I was too scared to travel abroad on my own. I’d read about it, but never thought it was for me. 🙅‍♀️

I had friends and I wanted to travel and enjoy the experience with them…

But there were times I was also frustrated traveling with them.

I wanted to travel with freedom, BUT I was too scared to go it alone.

What if I got lost?

What if I couldn’t communicate with anyone?

What if something bad happened to me?

All the what if’s played in my mind and kept me waiting for my friends to save up money and vacation days so we could sync up schedules and head out.

It wasn’t ideal, but I was getting to travel and that was enough…

Until a trip to Ecuador I’d been planning with a friend was put on hold… for the 3rd time.

I was so disappointed… and I didn’t want to wait another 6 months before my friends were ready to go.

In the midst of frustration at holding off AGAIN, I booked my flight and my hotels.

I was done waiting, I was going on my terms so I researched for HOURS.

🗺️ I read travel guides on Ecuador, I googled maps to plot walking routes, I scoured travel forums for insight on how the airport was situated, public transport, safety, and I memorized key Spanish phrases…

🗺️ I researched literally every single question I had about traveling solo and in Ecuador so that I knew what to expect and how to handle myself.

And when I finally landed I was fearless because all my research and preparation made me feel sure, confident and ready to do it.

💃🏻 I knew about long lines at customs and immigration and it didn’t make me nervous because I’d read about it in a travel forum.

💃🏻 I knew which taxi companies were the most reputable because I’d read about it in a travel guide.

💃🏻 I knew my hotel was centrally located near the historical sites I wanted to see and I knew I could walk to each site easily because I’d mapped it out before leaving the comfort of my living room.

My preparation helped me feel confident and ready to travel solo and when I did it, I had a MUCH easier time navigating and enjoying myself.

And with each solo trip abroad after, it got easier.

Because while the countries changed, the same general rules about airports, communication, transportation, and safety all apply.

The fearlessness I found in solo travel also applied to building my business.

Like travel, growing a business has a lot of unknowns.

You don’t usually learn entrepreneurship at school and it can be nerve wracking and downright scary, trying to figure how to get the starting line to your first $100k, let alone multi 6-figures and beyond.

AND the same way that researching and understanding what to expect on arrival helped me take the first steps to loving solo travel and visiting 10+ countries over 3 years on my own- knowing what to expect is the first step to growing your business with more ease and speed.

You don’t let your nerves hold you back from doing what you want when you know what to expect and how to handle it.