Perhaps you're one of those people who's eagerly drinking in the Wonderworker Week materials precisely because you're looking for the motivation to get started on your very own business journey. Maybe you've been standing on the sidelines for a while, watching other people launch but finding yourself unable to jump. Fear can stop us from setting out on the entrepreneurial path for weeks, months or even years. This blog post is all about how you can master it and even use it as fuel.
As a business mentor, I have come across all kinds of different fears relating to starting a dream business. Many of the fears I have encountered in my discussions with people don't seem to be completely clear-cut. They have different 'limbs' and they need to be understood in a holistic way before they can be tackled. Just because a person's fear is complex and consists of various different aspects doesn't mean it's unconquerable. On the contrary, the more insight and realisation is brought into the proceedings, the more the fear becomes manageable and even inspiring. Fear can act as a launchpad. It can exhilarate you. If you've already given up on 2016 as the year you birthed your business, don't quit just yet, honey!
One of the most important things to understand about your fear is that it is common. It is normal. You won't come across many entrepreneurs who can honestly say that they had zero hang-ups, fears or concerns at the beginning of their journey. You're not alone in your worries, and if starting a business was so easy'n'breezy, I highly doubt that so many people would attest to just how much of a life-changing, profound process it really is! The experiences which make you feel challenged and require you to be brave are the same experiences which truly foster growth. In other words, it's wonderful because it's scary and it's scary because it's wonderful! So, with that in mind, don't convince yourself that you need to wait until your fears are a thing of the past before you can step into your power. You'll be waiting until you're a skeleton, honey!
I tend to teach my clients to get clear on their fears. Identifying what's really freaking you out can put you in control of it. That doesn't mean that your fears will conveniently melt away just because you can name them. It just means that you can catch your fear in the act and have a dialogue with it in the moment which is super helpful. You can also seek out all kinds of resources to help you get a grip on your fear and seek advice which caters specifically to it. So, take some time to get clear on what's tripping you up, what's bringing you down and what's keeping you awake at night. Then, remind yourself that you're not the first person with these issues and you won't be the last. You can then begin to read articles and blog posts or watch videos which seek to help people with the kinds of issues that you have, or you can open up about them with those whom you trust and love. You can seek counsel, inspiration, step-by-step guides and so on. Be kind to yourself, be practical, introduce yourself to useful tools.
Remember that it's important not to use your fears as excuses. This is the ultimate in self-sabotaging behaviour. It's like using a twisted ankle as an excuse to lie around for six months in bed watching YouTube videos and crying. I mean, let's be honest, that's just unnecessary and unhelpful, right?!
Your fear may be slowing you down and complicating matters, but you can't deal with that by allowing it to cripple you and stop your progress completely. You must press on in spite of your fear, using it to inspire you and keep the journey interesting. Just because you don't feel able to open your business right now doesn't mean you can't do some brainstorming or research, or start a blog or get some networking done.
Also, it may help you to recognise that The Fool is a valuable Tarot card to keep in mind when you're at the beginning of your journey. The Fool can often be about letting go of your expectations and appreciating that your best and most fastidious plans can only count for so much. Everyone who starts a heart-centred business needs to step out over that cliff face and let it happen at some point. Everyone needs to feel that fear and refuse to allow it to stop them. We all come from different places with different stories, ideas, resources and hopes. We all measure success a little differently and we all have a different, random collection of fears and aims, strengths and flaws. But we share something in common. We each discover, sooner or later, that if something comes from the heart and we really care about it, it's hard to bet on that and take action to make it happen.
But we do it for the love.
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Stick around and keep reading:
- The Keys to the Castle of Your Psyche
- One Single Moment of Truth
- A Little Message of Hope
- Individuality and the Permission to be Paradoxical
