Here’s a simple formula for taking being successful at something you’ve never done before:
1. Make sure it’s worth doing.
Are the rewards justifiable? For example, if you want to provide a new service to customers, is there a sizable market for that service? Will it be worth it in the long run to invest in a new direction for your business?
2. Find the next reasonable risk.
Imagine you’re in one corner of a large room and your destination is the opposite corner. That’s where you want to be.
You could try to leap across the room but chances are you might not make it. Instead, what’s the next step you can take to get to your final destination. Something substantial enough you can feel a sense of success.
For example, if you want to provide a new service to customers, what’s a related service you already provide and how can you modify it to provide a new service too?
3. Take the reasonable risk.
Find a customer to try it with and see what happens.
When you’re done, reflect upon your success.
4. Take the next step
If the first step was worthwhile and the final destination still seems worthwhile, take the next step and get one step closer.
Why does this work? Because sometimes the fear of leaping to a final destination will keep us from making small steps in the right direction. But, if you have past success, REAL success, to reflect upon then you can always remind yourself you’ve already been successful which will help set the tone for your future success.
If you make one giant leap, you won’t have past success to rely upon. You won’t have the opportunity to learn from intermediate steps.
It’s funny how much past success can abate fear and help us take bigger, reasonable risks in the future. Because let’s be honest, for most people, their reasonable risks are actually rather conservative. Why not leverage the psychology of success to not leave any reasonable risk on the table?