How to Get Over Your Fears and Do What You Love – With Dave Navarro

I first got introduced to Dave Navarro through Jade, who is a networking genius.

At first glance, you may think that Dave is another marketing dude

But when you dig deeper, you realize that he’s a down-to-earth kind of guy who cares about his customers.

He jumps over all the hype and gets straight to the point.

He is honest about the fact that making a living isn’t easy. He’s human, just like you and me.

He experiences fear, anger, worry and frustration. He also has an amazing library of content [opt-in], which I highly recommend you check out if you’re interested in making a living following your passion.

Enjoy!

The Interview

1. Who is Dave Navarro?

I’m a product launch manager at TheLaunchCoach.com and I specialize in helping bloggers and online professionals build a fan base and create/sell information products based around their expertise.

2. How did you get started?

I actually started as a time management / personal development coach over at RockYourDay.com and created some audio products based around getting more out of your day.

When blogging turned mainstream I took what I knew about making and selling products and helped a few up-and-coming bloggers sell their stuff.  Word got around that I knew how to launch products, and I started getting calls from people who wanted to hire me.

My passion has always been helping people, but I discovered I could leverage my time a lot better selling business solutions to businesses than I could trying to “motivate” people, so I shifted into the business-building niche. I love helping small businesses learn how to get ahead financially, so that’s pretty fulfiling.

3. A lot of people get paralyzed when it comes to finding their passion, they think it has to be perfect before they start taking action. Did you encounter this? If so, how did you deal with it and what were your experiences?

Absolutely, this held me back for years.  What I had to do was forget perfection and focus on adding value to customers’ lives.  I couldn’t compete with the slick packaging that other people had, but I could help people move forward, so that’s what I focused on.

I also discovered that people don’t want perfect – in fact, they resent it.  Just watch how much people like to see celebrities fail … what people really want is to see someone just like them working to succeed, because that’s something they can relate to and model.

I still get paralyzed sometimes (even this week), but what I do is focus on specific people who need my help, and I think that it’s silly to hold off on releasing products and information that can help then right now just because it’s not polished enough.

4. I’ve read a lot of your articles and listened to a few interviews, so I know you’re not a fearless person. I’ve heard you say that you’re just as scared as anyone else, but the difference is that you take action. How do you deal with the fear and get into taking action mode?

Again, it’s back to focusing on the value that you provide to others.  You’ve got to shake yourself out of the paralysis and think of how much people appreciate your help, and about how stuck they’ll remain if you don’t take action. Then it’s not about your fear and it’s more about their need.

Also, I keep an archive of emails where people say “Wow, you’ve helped me so much,” and I skim through that when I’m feeling down.

5. If you could start over again, what would you do differently in terms of following your passion and making things work?

I wouldn’t have tried to be the next Tony Robbins or the next Copyblogger and instead just focused on tossing out quick videos and posts where I deliver the goods and help people.  I would have bought a flip camera because they make recording so easy (it took me forever to get the hang of getting something decent looking/sounding at home).

And I definitely would have raised my prices earlier.  That’s where the leverage comes from – you can’t get breathing space charging peanuts.  It’s not good for you and it’s not good for your clients.

6. What is the one tip you would give people just getting started, those that just figured out that they can do what they love, but are too scared or confused to begin.

This is going to sound self-serving, but I’d say go check out my free workbook “7 Steps To Playing A Much Bigger Game” because it can get you out of the fear and get you focused on what you’re truly capable of.  I wrote it specifically with this question in mind.

7. I always emphasize that if you haven’t found your passion, you will find it by taking action. Sometimes you have to figure out what you don’t want in order to find what you do want. How has your business and perspective transformed throughout the years? Did you have the same goals 5 years ago as you do now?

Well, this is absolutely true – I started out wanting to be the next Tony Robbins (because I thought that’s where the leverage was, in selling to millions), and I did some pretty stupid things working myself to death, not spending enough time with my family, etc..

But it was a learning process that helped me identify things that I didn’t want in my business.  I didn’t want to be on the phone all day for clients.  I wanted a flexible schedule.  I didn’t want to be tied to a desk.  I didn’t want to be around low-energy people.  I didn’t want to have someone else calling the shots about how I could run my business.  I didn’t want to conform to the popular culture of blogging.  I didn’t want to have to chase sales.

So yeah, a lot has changed.  5 years ago I wanted to have a massive following.  Now I want to serve a tighter niche who can afford to pay more for high-end training (where I spend time with them), and have a lower price-point for people who want training without the one-on-one pricing.

But did I see myself doing this 5 years ago?  No.  You have to jump in and see how your goals “fit” to figure out what you really want.

8. You’ve created some great products, so I’m naturally curious about your product creation process. It’s a big stumbling block for a lot of people. What’s your mindset when creating a product and how do you overcome procrastination and other obstacles?

I try not to be clever and instead dig into what people are struggling with, because then I know I’m developing something in demand.  I read blog posts, comments and tweet streams and follow the trends of struggle people have, and the ideas flow.

As far as procrastination?  I set a public deadline, and then I’m forced to hustle to make it happen.  I’m naturally lazy so I need that kind of pressure to force myself to take action, and I’ve done it enough that I know if I set a crazy deadline I’ll do it.  Usually it requires streamlining my original plan because things happen to put me behind, but hey, that’s where the “avoiding perfection” comes from.

And again, this is going to sound self-serving, but I have a another free workbook about how to create a simple, small, in-demand product in 3 days that was designed specifically to help people push past that stumbling block.  If this describes you, check it out.

9. Any last words you want to impart to anyone just realizing that they have the power to do what they want and be free?

Hang out with supportive people on Twitter who will hold your feet to the fire.  See that other people just like you are doing this.  A lot of people think I’m a “big name” but I had a full time job until April 2010.  I built my success step by step on the side, and it took a while.  Hang out with people who will encourage you to keep growing.

Takeaway Points

Dave is one of the few people online that I enjoy learning from, so I definitely suggest you check out his library, which contains more value than most paid products.

With all that said, this interview clocks in at almost 1,500 words, so here are a few takeaway points if you’re just skimming along:

• Look for the intersection between your passion and what solves a problem
• Forget perfection and focus on adding value to people’s lives
• Don’t try to be the next Tony Robbins. Find your own groove and listen to your heart
• Take action and discover what you want and don’t want in your life
• Experiment with public deadlines to eliminate procrastination
• Surround yourself with supportive people

Thanks for reading, and as always, stay awesome!

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