Feel the [Work] Fear and Do It Anyway
- Victoria Hogg
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 25
This week we’re discussing FEAR - and specifically, how to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. What began as a 1987 book by the late US psychologist Susan Jeffers became so wildly popular (it’s published in 36 languages in over 100 countries) that the expression ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ is now a universal byword; the ultimate phrase to fail forwards and overcome obstacles.
How does improv align with this brave state of being? In the world of business, an improv mindset is inevitable, if we want success. The agility required to establish a career, run an organisation or manage entrepreneurship is baked into the everyday. No agility? Enjoy your extra helping of anxiety! Let alone the higher ‘fixed mindset’-related failure rate.
Fear, of course, comes in many shapes and wears many masks. We are all constantly surprised by what surprises us, right? But improv, like any moving meditation, allows for flow, for extra space and for neutral thinking time.
For positive engagement, for slicker error recovery, feel that fear.
“We can choose courage or we can choose comfort but we can’t have both - not at the same time” Brené Brown, Researcher Storyteller
Something mettle-testing…
I (Vic) recently had my capacity for second-hand fear tested: someone I love went in for an operation that resulted in inserting two chunks of metal in their torso. No picnic, I think we can agree - unless it’s a picnic involving cyborgs and / or tricky surgical procedures. If you’ll forgive the pun: my mettle was tested!
When called on for courage, my mind automatically goes to vulnerability expert Brené Brown. She said: ”Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.”
Now the op is over and the road to recovery is clear, resilience has increased. Nebulous fear + bravery + a positive experience = a solid stepping stone in life. Character-building indeed.
Something improvised…
I (Vic) was recently invited to speak up in a group. The context? An improv audience, where I was happily watching some pals do a show. They’d asked for an audience member to give an account of their day if it had been particularly memorable; then they’d invent some scenes off the back of the tale.
Since I’d visited the above family member post-surgery and then gone to an art show about British Sign Language with old friends, I had the story to top all stories. I was sorely tempted to raise my hand. The seconds ticked by. Silence all round. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming, anticipatory. And then… a man behind me raised his hand: a sole brave soul in a room of 50+ people. And his story? Mediocre at best: a dinner shared where not much happened. Mildly pleasant. Fine.
“Knowing what to do with your life takes wisdom; pushing yourself to do it takes courage” Mel Robbins, life coach and speaker
Why didn’t I raise my hand? Give those improv players a day to really get their teeth into? Because: I was scared of ‘showing off’. I feared not letting someone else do it who had a better story. I felt shy cos the players were my friends.
If I had raised my hand, the evening would’ve been different. I’d have something to remember; so would the rest of the audience; so would the improvisers. Once upon a time in the same room, the same improviser asking for a new word that the audience had learned recently, so I shared: ‘LIMINALITY’. It led to a brilliant show and a buzzed audience.
There’s no guarantee this time would’ve been as successful. The real hero? That bloke behind me who shared his dinner. He stepped in when no-one else would. The wheels turned and I missed my chance. I felt the fear and HE did it anyway. Lesson learned - again.
Something free-falling…
I (Vic) have recently been tested on fear (and feeling it and doing the thing anyway) with my career: work opportunities have come up in both Italy and in Spain. In the past, one of two things would have happened.
I’ve now found a third way: to fully engage my brain with the expectation (scary) and to lean into the level of challenge that will lead to excellence (also scary). No more ‘la la la, let’s have fun, it’s just improv’ and no more hiding from the most professional version of the future.
As my friend Zoë always used to say: “Jump and a net will catch you”. I admire this attitude. It’s official, then - 2025 is a Leap Year.
