On The Hook

Put yourself on the hook!

It is a saying oft-used as a motivational tool for achieving a goal or simply getting sh…tuff done.

We are encouraged to state our commitment out loud, to others, and to keep ourselves accountable through the pressure of peers and our own need to meet these expectations.

Sometimes we put ourselves on the hook before we even realise we are doing so.

A passing comment - seemingly small - made to a colleague. In a flash, they have picked it up with curiosity and intrigue.

“I’d love to see/read/hear more about that …”

In that moment, you are on the hook.

Gulp.

Here come the fears and doubts and all of those related thoughts and feelings that come with the territory of expectations. They seem to arrive no matter what our confidence and competence say to the contrary.

 It is for this reason that we may hesitate to willingly put ourselves on the hook.

But once there, we may as well take that deep breath, put the fear and doubt to one side and follow through with the commitment. You never know, it might just get easier the next time, and the next time, and the time after that.

I have a spare hook if you would like to try it out 😉