Entrepreneurs, Fear, and Success
Working for yourself is like jumping out of a plane. You know that once you jump, eventually you will land, but you aren’t sure about what will happen in the meantime. Will my parachute open? Will I need my backup? What is the right altitude to deploy my chute? Will I break my leg on the landing? Being an entrepreneur is much like taking that leap. When I became an entrepreneur, I thought that once I “landed” everything would be fine and I would have success. I imagined that I would be very proficient in my field (entrepreneur coaching), would stride into my home office every single day with a sense of purpose and put down my work at the end of the day with a satisfied sigh. What I actually found has been something vastly different. Instead of finding out that the fear of jumping would be a one-time event, it has become an almost constant companion as an entrepreneur. In a lot of ways, I may have made the jump, but I’m not sure I have ever landed. . . As an entrepreneur, fear is part of the landscape. The BIG question is what you will do when you feel that adrenaline surge that tells you that you are way too far out on a ledge? At the moment that begin to you feel afraid, resistant, or unwilling, you have a couple of choices. You can move forward or you can let the fear win.
As an entrepreneur, is fear an issue for you?
Here are a few signs that fear may be holding you back:
- You have stopped marketing your business, even though you know you should.
- New technology seems like a waste of time.
- Reading blogs and studies in your industry isn’t something you have time to do.
- You are far too busy to go to a networking event.
- You work all on your own, with no support from a coach or colleagues to spur you on.
- You know you are making money, but you don’t know how much or what your expenses are.
- You haven’t developed any new products or services in more than a year.
- When people ask you what you do, you mumble the answer.
These are all symptoms that we are avoiding the hard things, a sure sign of underlying fear that is blocking your success. When you realize and identify your feelings for what they are, you open the door to choices. There are a few ways that you can overcome your nervousness and take your business (and your confidence) to a new level of growth.
Check out these ideas:
1. Commit to doing the one thing you don’t want to do.Whether it is balancing your books, checking on your list size or reading a new blog, choose one thing and schedule a time to do it. Pushing yourself through the resistance will help you to not only feel more confident and competent, but will lift your spirits! 2. Remember that feelings follow actions, not the other way around.How you feel about stepping out of your comfort zone really has nothing to do with actually doing it. When you act, your feelings will follow. Trying something new will reward you with feeling better about your business, which will help you to attract new clients and projects that make your heart sing. 3. Find some support (NOW).One of the ways that we keep ourselves stuck in fear is by doing our business all by ourselves. Support is one of the quickest ways to move through the fear. Whether you hire a coach or join an online mastermind, finding companionship on the journey is a recipe for success. Remember, the dark doesn’t seem so dark when you are walking with someone else. When you don’t face your fear you deprive yourself of all of the good things that could happen. Know that every entrepreneur is in the same boat. So, the next time you decide to go out on a proverbial ledge and try a networking event, post a blog, or pitch to a big client, know that you are not alone. We – all of the entrepreneur family – are all there with you, cheering you on. If you can do it, we know we can too. These tactics have helped me to face my fear as an entrepreneur. I hope they help you too.
In the comments, let us know what scares you about being an entrepreneur and how you are working through it.
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