How much are fear and self-doubt costing you?

 

For me, the answer is over $500,000. 

 

Yeah, you read that right. 

 

“But, Blair, how could you possibly know that?”

 

Well, let me tell you a story…

 

A few years ago, things were running quite smoothly in my PR agency. I had multiple clients paying me over $10k per month each, and I had more business than I had time for. I was getting featured in major media outlets, and I was well-known in my industry. 

 

But there were signs that something was amiss. 

 

I was massively burnt out. 

 

I was angry and resentful towards my clients.

 

I desperately wanted to do something I cared about. 

 

And I was starting to see signs that the PR industry was shifting and that I needed to adjust course. 

 

So, I listed my business for sale. 

 

I had no idea what to list it for, so I did some research, and made an educated estimation. 

 

I listed it for $550,000, not knowing if this was a reasonable price or not.

 

To my surprise, I got dozens of responses. Over the next few months, I spent many hours on the phone with potential buyers. There were a few who were really interested, and ready to move into the next phase of the buying process.

 

Then I got cold feet. 

 

I had built the agency from the ground up and I was scared to let go of it. 

 

(Even though I had come to completely despise it.)

 

I doubted whether or not I was capable of making money at anything else. 

 

I was scared that if I sold it the money would run out and I’d be left with nothing. 

 

 

So, I stopped the conversations. I took my business listing down. I continued business as usual. 

 

And, I continued to burn myself out doing something I hated. 

 

Not long after that, shit really hit the fan. 

 

The changes in the industry started to pick up pace (thanks AI), marketing budgets tanked (thanks inflation), and clients started leaving in droves. New clients that came in were demanding more and paying less. 

 

Understandably, I became even more burnt out, and resentful. I was doing something I hated for even less than before, and I didn’t know how to fix it. Honestly, I didn’t even want to fix it. I just wanted to be done with it. 

 

For the better part of a year, it felt like I was waiting in purgatory. Waiting for things to shift or go back to normal so I could avoid having to make the hard decisions I knew I had to make. 

 

Spoiler alert: things didn’t improve. They only got worse. 

 

I didn’t want to give up on the business I had created, even though hanging onto it was destroying my life. I’d never been a quitter, after all. I’d always been a fighter. The funny thing is the thing I was fighting for was something I didn’t even want. 

 

I was praying for a sign to jump ship.

 

As luck (or the universe) would have it, one day I came across an ad for a book. It was called Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away.

 

I don’t remember exactly what the ad said, but it spoke to me. I read the book cover to cover immediately, and knew I had to do something.  It put words to what I’d been experiencing for several years. On some level, it gave me permission to do what I had wanted to do for a while: walk away. 

 

Our society glorifies perseverance and persisting at all costs. And yes, these can be fantastic qualities. But they can also keep you stuck. 

 

Stuck in bad jobs. Bad businesses. Bad relationships. 

 

Sometimes quitting is the best option. 

 

Quitting is brave. Quitting is smart. Quitting is strategic. 

 

If what you’re hanging onto is sucking the life out of you, it’s time fo f*cking quit. 

 

Because self-doubt and fear of moving forward can steal just as much from you as quitting. 

 

I have learned this the hard way. 

 

Last year, I did end up walking away from my PR business. Hanging onto it started to cost me more than walking away, so I made the leap.  It was terrifying and exciting, and absolutely the right choice. 

 

And to be honest, I’m happier now. 

 

But, this is still a cautionary tale.

 

My fear and self-doubt and indecision were expensive. 

 

A few years ago, at the peak of my business, I could have sold it for over $500,000. 

 

Today, I’m entertaining an offer for $3,000. 

 

Yes, you read that right. Three thousand dollars. 

 

I think I might take it. 

 

So, how much are fear and self-doubt costing you?