My youngest son is leaving for college in a couple of weeks, and of course, this is bringing up a whole host of emotions for him, for me, and his father. (His older brother is unphased, of course, because he’s already out of the house and, well, he’s the older brother). The most frequent feeling being named by our small clan is nervousness – an unpleasant emotion that leaves us agitated and anxious.

As I’ve thought about how best to support my son here (and myself!), I landed on the plus side of nerves. If we are never nervous or uncomfortable, we are likely not pushing our boundaries. If we are not pushing our boundaries, growth is unlikely. How boring would life be, really, without wonderful new opportunities and experiences? Unexciting indeed.

One of my favorite quotes is, “never let your fear decide your fate.” This is from an AWOLNATION song, and though I’m sure the concept is more eloquently stated elsewhere, the straightforwardness of this lyric resonates for me. If we welcome discomfort, acknowledge it, sit with it, walk with it, and eventually play with it, that fear or discomfort is likely to blossom into a skill, a strength, and at least no longer be something that brings anxiety.

In our work, many organizations avoid data because they fear what they might uncover – that they disagree, that they need to do something different in response to the feedback, or that they need to push on a new boundary. Fairly quickly though, for these bold teams, they learn something invaluable – sometimes positive, sometimes negative – that opens an opportunity to change, improve, and deepen engagement and impact.

Rather than letting fear rule how we feel, grab your fate, and hold its hand. You might be scared, but you’ll likely learn, grow and maybe even eventually have fun.