August 19, 2011
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Conventional business wisdom urges us to never be afraid. In fact, we are told to ignore the fear so it can "just go away." Popular culture even created “No Fear” branded drinks and clothes.
This is plain nonsense. Every small business owner is afraid sometimes. As Dale Carnegie said, “We can’t make fear go away, we just need to teach it to fly in formation.”
Fear will push and pull you
My mentor, Rick Mazursky, says that when he went through military bayonet training he learned that "There are only two kinds of soldiers in this world, the quick and the dead.” Fear can be a powerful motivator to move you from where you are. For many business people, it's an “anywhere but here mentality” that actually works.
Entrepreneurs are often called brave. It does take courage, but this is too simplistic. They don’t give out purple hearts for starting a business or struggling to make a it work. For me, the force was not wanting to work for another large corporation or another incompetent manager. It was being unemployed and not being able to find a job. It was having just enough money saved to be able to survive on my own for a while without getting paid. Another fear was that someday I would receive my gold watch for 25 years of service, and look back to see that I did not accomplish what I really wanted to do with my life.
Fear mixed with passion make a powerful passion cocktail that can fuel the entrepreneur. That passion can be so attractive that it pushes you forward no matter what common sense or your friends might be telling you.
But fear can actually help you grow your business. Just repeat these affirmations:
1. Accept that you are afraid
Don’t ignore it. Don’t tell yourself stories that you shouldn’t be afraid. Repeat the words, "I am afraid, now what?"
2. Ask why you are afraid
Can you pinpoint the reason? Is it the result of the current situation or is it related to something that happened in the past? Is the fear realistic or are you blowing it completely out of proportion? Repeat the words, "I am afraid right now because...."
3. Ask what the worst consequence is
My attorney, Zane Smith, always told me during tough times: “The worst they can do is eat you, and that’s illegal.” That always made me feel better. Repeat the words, "The worst they can do is eat me, and that’s illegal."
4. Realize that the only why out is through
Some business problems are unavoidable. Often, the only way out is to deal with the problem head on. Repeat these words, "I will deal with my biggest fear first thing so I can be productive the rest of the day."
5. Jump, take a chance to get to a different place
What can you do in this new place where there is a new chance of success. Repeat these words, "Every action brings me closer to a new chance of succeeding"
How do you use fear to fuel your success?
Check your balance, review recent transactions and pay your bill on the go.
Denise W Barreto 9 months ago
Funny that I stumbled on this TODAY of all days - I am trying to face my fear of building my biz. You know the story - I work a day job and it is not my life's work. I know what my life's work is and I am working furiously towards it (people have even paid me to do it already) but it is not happening fast enough. So I am almost out of vacation days this year and thus my time to build the business is limited. It is mind numbing at times. However - for every 1/2 day I take off to work on my biz - I reap so much more. Thanks for this article which gives me a different perspective on my fear... and perhaps a few tips to conquer it.