If you’ve been even marginally connected to pop culture in the US in the last couple of weeks, you undoubtedly seen the video taking You Tube by storm – Double Rainbow. It features a rainbow enthusiast happening upon not only one rainbow, but two rainbows, hence, a double rainbow. In the video, he says, “Double rainbow all the way!” countless times. It has spurred many parodies which you can also find on You Tube.

“Double rainbow all the way!” It’s the sound of someone in awe about something not holding back and fully committing to the act.  Have you ever felt in awe of seeing someone or something magnified to its fullest capacity?  Or conversely, felt sad for seeing people not fully commit?  Unfortunately, I have done this myself.

Let me explain.

I feel like I’ve had the same hair style for years. That is until about six months ago. Since then I’ve unleashed my inner Linda Evangelista and played around with a few different styles and even colors. A few months ago, I decided I would try the Victoria Beckham style – you know the one – it is shorter in the back and angles to a longer profile in the front.

I went into the salon ready for this drastic cut (for me anyway) and told my hairdresser what I wanted. While she was shampooing my hair, I started to get cold feet.

“What if it looks horrible on me?”

“Am I really that edgy?”

“Short hair doesn’t really look good on me!”

When the scissors came out, I blurted out my objections and talked my hairdresser into a very slight angle – almost unnoticeable. She reluctantly agreed and I was happy as I walked out.

The next day as I was styling my hair, I realized that the cut was OK, but it didn’t really give me what I truly wanted. I had allowed myself to get scared and ultimately, I was not happy with myself for not going all the way.

It was a good lesson for me. I often find myself teaching people to “go all the way” with their business decisions. For me, it’s easy. It’s within my personal comfort zone and I find it to be extremely enjoyable! However, for others it’s a stretch. I hear objections like “What if it doesn’t work on the first try?” or “I’ll just do one e-newsletter a quarter – I don’t want to overwhelm my clients,” or “I can’t ask people to buy something from me,” or “I’m not qualified for that job or speaking engagement.” All of these objections come down to the same reason I didn’t get my hair style: Sometimes we get too scared to go all way, even when we really, really want it.

To get what we want, there are times when we have to step outside of our comfort zone and go all the way. Some people call it a leap of faith. Nike says, “Just do it!” It can be scary, but the truth is that it is very unlikely that something really terrible will happen. There is not much in this world that is brain surgery, except, well, brain surgery. If you make a mistake, just learn from it and try again. It’s really no biggie. And frankly, it’s one of the best ways – dare I say the best way – to grow. To put in another way, when you take steps to go all the way, you’ll come out the other side stronger and more confident than you were before, regardless of the outcome.

Your subtle push to go all the way may be something like deciding to place phone calls to a three people who may need to hire you. Or you may decide to reach out to a few key people and just ask them how they are doing and just be open to receiving whatever comes of the conversation.

I urge you to look at your business decisions for the last six months and ask yourself, “Did I go all the way?” Or better yet, “Am I currently going all the way?” If you are not feeling totally committed to yourself and what you want for yourself, you are not going all the way. If you aren’t looking at how to leverage your skills or your business, you are not thinking big enough.

Ongoing attention to “going all the way” is a high-payoff activity that will help you sustain your personal and professional growth over the long run. If you need to step outside of your comfort zone to do this, you may need to hire a coach, create an advisory board, form mastermind or find a mentor who will gently push you into taking new steps and celebrating your successes.  Think of this as your “Double rainbow all the way!” moment.

I do understand being scared of doing something new. But if you find yourself holding back on creating something new for yourself in your business or your life, I sincerely hope you will branch out and take just one baby step in your chosen direction. Then take another. Taking these kinds of small actions, one after the other, are fantastic ways to grow personally and professionally.

© 2010 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RisingStarPublicity.com. Meredith is the radio show host of “Raise Your Celebrity Profile” on the Diva Toolbox Radio Network and author of the book Flourish, 10 Easy Elegant and Essential Marketing Strategies for Solo and Micropreneurs.

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