Go Ahead. Be Nervous.

A recent article in the New York Times discusses four benefits of feeling nervous:

• The right amount of nerves can improve your performance.

• It can help you recognize what isn’t working.

• It can help you face your fears.

• It can breed conscientiousness.

The trick is determining if nervousness is working for you or against you. If you’re navel gazing, rehashing past struggles or unclear on what to do next, chances are your nerves are working against you.

Recognizing that a coach sometimes needs to coach himself, I learned how asking myself the right questions clarifies whether I’m experiencing too much or just enough nerves to perform as I want.

These questions follow my “5 Word Rule.” These are short, crisp, and powerful questions that are five words or less and help me zero in quickly on what I’m experiencing and what I’m willing to do about it.

Here are some questions I ask myself:

• Am I stuck?

• What do I need?

• What’s important?

• Who can help?

• What’s really going on?

• Where am I limiting myself?

• What will success look like?

• How can I stretch?

• How will that work?

• When will I start?

Do you notice what’s missing?

I don’t ask myself “why am I nervous?” For me, the “why” is less important and impactful than knowing “what” I will do and “how” I will do it.

“Why” questions keep us in navel-gazing mode, focused on the past or anchored to the fear or worry we’re experiencing. Solution-focused “what” and “how” questions create a bias for action and give us clarity to move forward and leave nervousness behind.

The next time you’re feeling nervous and stuck, unlock your productivity by asking yourself some of these powerful questions.