Worksheet: Practice Taking Risks

Start by downloading the PRACTICE TAKING RISKS worksheet.

Instructions:

• Write down the scary stuff: what are your fears when it comes to thinking about someday running for elected office? Jennifer Lawrence talked about not wanting to seem difficult or presumptuous. What are those things for you?
• Keep asking yourself “so what?” For each potentially bad thing, figure out what you’re really worried about, and whether that’s a consequence that might be worth it. For example, “If I go to this networking event, people might not be friendly and it might be hard to talk to anyone. The worst thing that happens is I commit to talking to one person for 5 minutes, and then I give myself permission to go home. That doesn’t mean I can’t find another way to network with those people in another context, and everyone is so busy worrying about the impression they’re making that I don’t have to worry about people forming negative impressions of me.”
• Promise yourself one courageous action, and share it in our private Facebook community. It could be as simple as researching meetups during a Netflix binge, or emailing a mentor to reconnect. Other examples are joining a fundraising committee for a cause you care about or applying for a local commission or board. Acknowledge the possible bad outcomes – maybe you attend an event and no one comes up to talk to you or maybe you decide to start to sharing with your friends and family that you’re interested in running someday and people aren’t immediately supportive – and figure out how you’ll deal with them.
• This exercise will take between 10-20 minutes to complete.