Our fears are like pesky little critters that creep into our brains every time we try something new. They want to tell us to stop what we’re doing because we might get hurt. Yet the only thing they actually do is make us play small.
I personally love the acronym for fear: False Evidence Appearing to be Real. I don’t know a single business owner who hasn’t experienced a certain degree of fear or a successful business owner who doesn’t continue to experience fear every time they want to try something new.
Yet what exactly do we fear? Well, the fear of failure is a big one. I hear many of my coaching clients ask: “What will people think if I fail? What if a prospect says no? What if no one buys my product?”
Luckily I’ve been around the block with my own journeys laced with fear and I know exactly how to run with it when I’m tackling something big in my business. If you want to scale and grow your business fast, you’ll need to know how to deal with fear too.
Here are 4 ways you can get a better handle on yours.
Journaling
Journaling is a helpful tool if you want to identify and release your fears. I’d wager that 95% of our business fears are all in our heads. So what better way to deal with them than let them out and see just how ludicrous some of them really are.
Here are some helpful journaling prompts I’ve done in the past:
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Where is this fear coming from?
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What would I do if I weren’t afraid?
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What would actually happen if I failed? Would it be that big of a deal?
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What would happen if I succeeded?
Here are some more journaling prompts to help you face your fears:
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Name your fears (“I am afraid that . . .”)
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When did I first experience this fear? Was it triggered by an event?
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What does it mean to “face my fears”?
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What would make what I am doing right now easiest?
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What is the worst possible scenario if I take “x” action? What can I do to limit the downside?
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What are the 20% of things in my life that cause 80% of my anxiety? (Pareto’s Law)
Answering some of these questions will help you to pinpoint the root cause of your fears. It will also reveal just how silly some of them are!
Empower yourself
You’re afraid of these business decisions for a reason. Before fear set in, you were excited. So why give into the fear? Instead remember all of the reasons why you’re totally going to rock whatever comes your way.
Go ahead! Sit down and write out the best case scenario from your actions. Scenario planning is multidisciplinary. “Rather than extrapolating from the past to predict the future, scenario planning shifts the focus to preparing for a desired future and realized ways to achieve it. ”
Sure! Things can go bad, but they can also go really well! Imagine right now what life would look like if you just went all in and embraced the process? What would you say about your fears then? Stop playing small and shift your mindset.
Plan in an excitement mindset
Do the bulk of your preparation and planning when you’re freaking excited about your ideas. For example:
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Develop all of your sales emails before you even invite people to your new webinar.
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Plan your Facebook Live talking points before you go live and fears creep in.
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Review your pitch deck and practice your pitch with a few friends.
When you prepare in advance, without fears looming around outcomes, you have what you need to move forward. Create from a place of inspiration, not fear.
Pull a ‘Tony Robbins’
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru is a feature documentary film on Netflix about internationally renowned life and business strategist Tony Robbins. The film goes behind the scenes of his seminar Date with Destiny, attended by over 2,500 people in Boca Raton, Florida each year, to give viewers an insider look at how one man can impact millions.
One of the biggest insights I learned from this documentary is that Tony always jumps on a mini trampoline, like this one, before he gets on stage. It’s a genius idea!
He’s releasing negative energy and boosting his blood pumping endorphins. This simple act helps Tony give his audience the best of what he’s got. Do the same for yours . . . whatever your figurative (or literal) trampoline is – find it. Do it every time before you show up for your tribe! You can try running, stretching, yoga or anything that gets you in gear. Fear doesn’t live in this state – and neither should your business.
Ultimately, it’s important to know that every single person deals with fear. The success of your business will depend on how good you are at not letting them control you.
Sara J. Loureiro is a Business Coach for female coaches. She gives business strategies and practical woo to highly driven coaches and creatives who want to get fully booked with dream clients, make consistent 5k+ months and finally ditch the 9-5 grind so that they can start living their dream lives.
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