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01/10/14 | OOO

How to Create the Life You Want

Seattle Founder Friday Speaker and Fanzo co-founder shares roadblocks and solutions forĀ pursuing the life we want.

By Dana Dyksterhuis (Co-Founder, Fanzo)

I imagine that Iā€™m like most startup founders whose reason for taking the plunge is far greater than just wanting to do a startup. In fact, itā€™s an incredibly personal decision thatā€™s typically about wanting a different life, or taking charge to create your own destiny.

Making change happen is not easy which is why I share the three thoughts below. Fanzo most certainly would never have happened without tackling them and I believe they apply to not only your professional life, but personal as well.

Run toward fear

Big things donā€™t happen without making massive changes and conquering your fears. This is especially scary because weā€™re generally confronted with wanting change in the midst of highly difficult and sometimes even traumatic times. Over the years Iā€™ve learned that itā€™s during these times when we have the most opportunity. Whether youā€™re miserable at work, in a terrible relationship, want to move to a different city, or just feel stuck in general you likely have that feeling that you want something different.

You have two options: 1) Run away from your fear of making a change and stay put, which includes staying miserable and not living to your fullest or 2) Run toward fear and change your life.

Itā€™s been interesting to me to watch the magic happen after I embraced my fears, conquered them and made massive changes. Iā€™ve never been let down by doing so.

Create the life you want

The great thing about running toward your fears is that youā€™re also beginning to create the life you want. Prior to Fanzo, I had gone through three different layoffs in three to four years and it got to the point where it was just ridiculous. This was not the life I wanted! Yes, I definitely could have kept pursuing what I knew, and that was PR and communications. However I wanted something different and wanted to take charge. So I did one of the scariest things possible and that was to abandon it all to start something new in a world I had little experience in. Two-and-a-half years later Iā€™m part of the amazing Fanzo team who are also a new family. As with all startups, weā€™ve had lots of ups and downs but itā€™s a journey I wouldnā€™t exchange for anything. I canā€™t wait to see where we end up.

Reveal your wants

In order to create the life you want itā€™s a great idea to express your intentions with those around you including strangers. When I first had the idea of Fanzo, which was a completely different idea than what it is today, I talked to absolutely everyone about it to get their feedback and put the energy out there that Iā€™m pursuing this. What happened as a result is support from all types of people to help me make it happen. Itā€™s an amazing thing to me to see how people, even strangers, want to do what they can to help you when you let them in, get vulnerable and give them a piece of yourself.

When I practice the above my life changes in immense ways for the better. Itā€™s also how my baby came to be. Itā€™s a decision that took years of planning and conquering my fears to make happen but this past summer I told myself that it was time and went for it. In the years prior, I expressed my dream to those around me, even my co-founder Paul about things like how I hated holidays and how I felt a hole in my heart because I just wanted a child to complete my journey. Yes, I talked to strangers about it too. Now that Iā€™m 23 weeks pregnant itā€™s another amazing example to me of the power of creating the path you want and trusting in those around you to help make it happen. I couldnā€™t ask for a more supportive group of people around me including the Fanzo team, family, loved ones and even acquaintances.

To sum things up, when you have a dream you either go for it or you donā€™t. If you go for it, youā€™ve got to go big, get vulnerable and put yourself out there every step of the way. Scary I knowā€¦ But I promise you the most brilliant things will happen as a result.

Register for Founder Friday Seattle taking place tonight at 6:00 p.m.

Screen Shot 2014-01-10 at 12.21.02 PMDana Dyksterhuis is the Co-founder of Fanzo, a Seattle-based startup that generates the hottest news and social commentary for sports fans in real-time.Ā Fanzo was founded in January 2012, went through the Microsoft/Techstars Accelerator and has received about $1-million in Seed Funding.

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