I hosted a panel discussion last night for my chapter of Women in Nuclear. We had a great panel answering questions based on Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In.
We covered a lot of good material but I think the thing that stuck with me was a comment about risk, specifically taking risks.
The panelists agreed that we all need to take risks to get ahead in our careers. This does not apply only to women but to all of us.
I was reminded of the concept of jumping off a cliff (bear with me – this is good) with a parachute that is not quite ready. If you keep waiting for the chute to be perfect, you will never experience the thrill and success of the jump.
The idea is to make the leap and finish it on the way down. You’ll pull things together pretty quickly when the ground is rushing at you.
The message here is to not let fear hold you back. If someone offers you a new project, go for it, even if you are scared. Obviously, they feel that you can do it. Sure you’ll sweat for a while and you’ll probably have a couple nights of sub-par sleep but you will never really know what your capacity is until you test it.
So strap on your sneakers and go for it.
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