What I remember:
It wasn’t pretty.
In fact, it was terrifying.

I ran into the bathroom at my day job and threw up from nerves.
Eight hours later, I stood on the wings of the stage and my legs were shaking so badly, I was afraid that if I moved to take a step, I might fall on the ground.
On the sound system, I heard “Veronica Varlow” for the first time – amplified.
It was my burlesque baptism.
And then the curtains opened up
and all the light flooded in.

Truth be told:
I was horrible.
My mind went blank once I saw the audience. I forgot my moves. I was singing way too far from the microphone and I could barely be heard in the club. I skipped over a chorus. In the last 3 seconds of my number I shimmied out of my bra and stood there in just pasties. The curtain closed.

But no matter how bad it was…it was a moment when I set the wheels in motion to move towards my dream life.

I took a big risk for me at the time.

Welcome to Step 2 of How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted: Risk Taking.

Trying to achieve our biggest dreams is scary. That’s why a lot of people just don’t try.

When it comes down to it, there are two kinds of people in this world: Risk Takers and those who Play It Safe.

Which one do you want to be?

• Taking a risk means breaking out of your normal everyday life to do something extraordinary.

• It’s daring to push yourself and to give it everything you’ve got for a dream that means a lot to you.

• It’s diving into something where the outcome is uncertain, but you take a chance anyway.

If you want to be a Risk Taker, here are some tips that can help you along the way:

1. Don’t Judge Yourself.  You are venturing into brand new territory.   Know that you are a beginner at this wild new dream and you will keep growing and learning and getting better every time.
2. Never Give Up.  Walt Disney went bankrupt early in his career and was once fired for “lack of imagination”, but he kept pushing and made an empire.  Dr. Seuss was rejected 27 times before he was published.  J.K. Rowling was rejected 12 times and told to keep her day job because there was no money in children’s books.
3. Bring on the Hustle.  There are many ways to get to a goal.  If one way isn’t working, try another way.  Reach out to friends and brainstorm.  Ask for help.

I’m in the middle of a big risk right now. Burke and I are getting ready to bring our feature film, Revolver, to Kickstarter in September. And I’m terrified and excited.

Taking this risk of bringing our biggest dream to an “all or nothing” crowd funding platform like Kickstarter means that there is risk of failure alongside the possibility for absolute success.

But for too long, I let fear hold me in its grip and haven’t moved forward with the film. And I know that if we don’t do this Kickstarter in September and I keep myself frozen in fear – only one thing will happen:

Nothing.

And I’m done with that.

In September, I’m going to close my eyes, cross my fingers and leap into the unknown.

Wish me luck.

So it comes back to that question again:  What wild dream of yours would you attempt if you knew 100% that you would succeed at it?
What is a tiny step that you can do in the next 24 hours to move forward on it?
What is a risk taking step that you can do in the next 7 days?

Hold my hand and let’s dive together…