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In this week's newsletter (June 16th 2004) we heard from David Shaw about how he turned a difficult situation at work into a new and exciting career, with Sue Clarke's help.

Sue has some tips on how you can avoid being paralysed by fear when crisis hits and shows how David applied them in a very practical way in his situation.

Sue's Tips

1. Confront the precipice
   When we hit a crisis in our lives, or feel that we are at a major crossroads, we can become paralysed by fear, and feel like we’re looking over a precipice and seeing a dark gaping hole. If we step off that precipice, our fear tells us we could freefall and smash to smithereens on the cliffs on the way down or on the jagged rocks at the bottom. So if this happens to you, let’s get one thing straight right now – it’s perfectly normal!
   
2. Recognise that you always have a parachute on your back
   You don’t have to stay paralysed by fear.
   
   Break the trance - bring your eyes up out of the gaping hole and focus on your parachute. The longer you look down into the hole, the scarier it gets. Being on the precipice looking down is one of the scariest places in the world to be.
   
3. Check your parachute
   The most important task for you to focus on is checking that your parachute has been packed properly. This means start taking practical action to move you forward. Get a coach if you need one because they will help you do this.
   
4. Jump
   Once you’ve checked your parachute, as every skydiver knows, you have only one option – you jump.
   
5. Trust your parachute to open
   Your parachute may open right away, it may open half way down, or it may open just in time for you to skid into the drop zone. You won’t know when it will open for you until you jump. But it will open!

David's Story

(If you have not already read David's story, you can do so here)

What was so great about David was this:

1. He confronted his precipice
   He got in touch with his true values and recognised that the organisation he’d dedicated so much of his time and energy to did not represent those values anymore.
   
   He looked down into the dark and yawning hole this had created for him. He faced the fear of being without a job, without income, on his own. He faced his true needs: that to go back to work for his old company would be selling his soul and be like freefalling with heavy rocks in his pockets into the chasm.
   
2. He checked his parachute
   For David this meant getting very practical about his income needs, getting very practical about what alternatives there were for him to generate that income, and taking steps each day – sometimes big, sometimes tiny – to make those alternatives real.
   
3. He jumped
   He handed in his resignation to his old company and set out his new stall. He made the commitment and followed through. Still scared, still totally aware there were no guarantees, but also with the knowledge that he’d packed his parachute very, very carefully.
   
4. He started his freefall
   Did his parachute open right away? No it didn’t. Did he feel scared? Yes he did. Did he hit a few hard edges on the cliff and get bruised as he went down? Again yes. But then his parachute opened, and the freefall turned into flight. And it felt good!
   
5. He began skydiving
   Making adjustments to his course as he needs to, handling the air currents, aiming at the drop zone, and appreciating the view as he goes – relishing the freedom of piloting his future.

Well done, David – you’ve been brilliant!