There I was 40 feet in the air, having just climbed the pirates net to the top of the high ropes course. Sitting on the perch looking at where to go next, it occurred to me that I was scared x&*%less.

I called to “Big Dog,” the group leader, and asked what I do next. His response was to “follow your instinct”. For 23 years in recruiting I followed my instinct and for the most part it led me the right way. Other times that old instinct got me in trouble. “What if my instinct is wrong” I called.

He looked back up and said “Margo, you are here for a reason, go for it”. Then my coach called up to me, “Margo, get centered on where you want to go (the other side of the giant jungle gym) and then take a step and just do it”. Okay well that advice is easy enough to give from the front of the room, but up here on the high ropes course with nothing but a helmet and some clips sheltering me is completely a different story.

I sat up there with the birds and pondered what they would think of me if I just climbed down. My head was clouded with thoughts and clamoring with noise, and somewhere in between those clouds and the noise - I got it. I travel all around and lecture or motivate (depending on my mood) recruiting professionals about how they need to change, how they need to break through the barriers facing our industry and yet I could not break through my own fear of not knowing what the high rope, or tight rope would bring.

The insight I had is that everyone has fears and those fears, whether people realize it or not, are paralyzing. They get in the way. They block learning. They block mastery and they inhibit taking risk. No matter who we are, we have fear and our fears keep us all STUCK. Our fears keep us standing in the same place, or moving at the same rate.

Our fears keep us doing the same things, even when those things cause us pain. Take this one step further beyond us. If fear has this much impact, what about the candidate’s fear of moving forward or the client's fear of giving up control and how does that get in our way?

My Annual Goal this year is to have 100 KeenView certified users paving new paths for themselves in the recruiting industry and beyond. Another goal of mine is to raise $10,000 for charity. And in another area of my life my intention is to create a spectacular relationship with the man of my dreams. Where am I not playing full out in the areas of achieving these goals? Where are my fears blocking my ability to learn and achieve these goals? It’s July..... What am I going to do to cause those goals being a reality by December 31, 2008?