Day 54: Tip on Getting Over Your Fear – Surround Yourself with Great People

Today was a free day for me in Toronto. No cleaning, no husband, no kids, and no dogs, no charity events – nothing to take care of all day. I was on a mission. I had a beautiful bag of items I had received from the charity event I had just participated in the day before, the Chef’s Challenge for a Cure with host Chef Gordon Ramsey.

The bag contained books, dishes, and chocolate, and a wonderful selection of gourmet items we were all very grateful for. As much as I loved everything in the bag and would have be happy to keep it all, I had a few people in Toronto that helped me get 365give going and they deserved a share of the bag with me.

Give 54: Day 54

One of the reoccurring conversations I have had with a number people recently has been about fear. The fear of getting a new project started and the fear of doing something that takes them out of their skill set.

A great example of this for me was overcoming the fear of starting 365give. I had never blogged, I’m not a writer, You Tube had never even been running on my laptop and Facebook was a terrifying application I never even considered joining. I needed a brand, a logo, a mission and an audience would be nice – the list went on.

I still remember the first day I went into WordPress and I didn’t even know which WordPress I needed. The .com version or .org. What did it all mean?

Out of nowhere in steps an old friend. A blast from the past I think it is called. One day I got an email from my old friend Anna.

We hadn’t spoke in years and our lives had taken different directions, one in Toronto and one in Vancouver. A mutual friend had passed away and she had tracked me down to let me know about is death. We instantly picked up where we left off and I told Anna about my idea for 365give. Without a blink she emailed back saying “sign me up.” Anna is a social media and marketing guru. I didn’t know this when I told her about 3565give nor did I realize that she would be the catalyst to help me get it going. She walked me through WordPress, held my hand as I got a web address she even edited my first post.

Because we live on opposite ends of the country, I finally had a chance to thank Anna today for the remarkable amount of time and expertise she has volunteered to give 365give and to me. First a few gifts, a recipe with featuring the beautiful David Rocco, a serving platter, organic chocolate and a little something to get Anna through those cold Toronto nights a bottle of Belvedere vodka! (she loves her martini’s!) Anna, thank you for being my inspiration. Every day I GIVE you are right there with me changing the world one day at a time. Without you 365give would not have come to fruition.

My next stop was a lifelong friend and colleagues house for a visit. Roy and I met about 17 years ago through some mutual friends while training for a triathlon. We instantly became friends and soon after colleagues as I pulled Roy into the not-for-profit world. Roy has a heart of gold and happens to be a brilliant graphic designer. When I started working the not-for-profit sector as an event producer I dragged Roy along for the ride with me. Roy has spent endless hours volunteering using his create talent to help produce event logos, marketing materials, programs – you name it he has done it.

When I came up with the name 365give, there is no one else I even considered asking to do my logo. Since I had no money to pay Roy for the actual value of his time and effort (I’m not always that easy to work with) I brought Roy a few things I knew he would appreciate. A recipe book from my gift bag and a fantastic bottle of red wine all the way from the Okanagan Valley – Burrowing Owl.

I was so thrilled to share my gifts with them. Without your friends and family to support you with new projects and challenges fear can creep in and take over. I still have many days that 365give terrifies me – how will I find time every day, will I run out of GIVES to post and my greatest fear – will anyone even want to read my story.

Thank you to all the people around me that cheer me on and thank you to my readers for your comments that inspire me to keep going.

Send me your story of how you got over your fear and who helped you along the way. This is your chance to take the time to publically thank the people in your life for cheering you on.

Time Commitment: 3 hours

Cost: $200 worth of gifts from my gift bag