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| Managing Yourself |
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The "F" Word: Secrets To Overcoming Fear
Entrepreneurs are always risk takers, but they are human, too. They often have to battle their fears to be successful. Unfortunately, if you start considering everything that could go wrong, you may let the fear take over and decide not to pursue your dream. In my opinion, that should scare you more than anything. If you forego your chance at owning your own business simply because you were afraid, you will constantly be wondering what might have been. Thankfully, many entrepreneurs have come before you, and they have all faced the same fears you are facing now. Take a look at these tried and true ways I have used to overcome my fears: Block out the naysayers. When you start your own business, people will be lining up to give you advice. Some of that advice is good; some of it is discouraging. Because every entrepreneur has his own fears when heading into a project, it is important that you don't let others add to your anxiety with their negative thoughts and advice. You can't let others define your success. You can't let others tell you what your goals should be. You can't let others tell you that you're doing it wrong. You have to stay true to your vision and your beliefs. If you keep a firm grip on your own definitions of success, you won't let your failures overwhelm you and convince you that you haven't succeeded. A great example of blocking out a naysayer came for me when I decided to start my first Nutri-System franchise in the late 70s. An economist friend of mine told me that, because interest rates were so high at the time, I would fail in the weight-loss business. At first I panicked and thought I might be making a huge mistake. Then I killed my fear by this rationalization: Sure, the economy is bad. And because it's bad, people aren't buying houses, cars or other big purchases. But they will spend money on smaller things that make them feel better about themselves, like cosmetics, and yes, weight-loss programs. It turns out my Nutri-System franchises were a huge success. By not letting fear take over, I was able to take advantage of a huge opportunity. Put it on paper. It may seem juvenile, but trust me it works! Take a second to think about your fears and then write them all out. This process makes them seem less important and easier to overcome. See? You'll think. It's only words on paper! When you have your list of fears all written down, take one last look at it and then crumple it up and toss it into the nearest wastebasket. You won't need the list ever again. You will have plenty to do now that you have taken the first step in moving forward and leaving your fears behind. It will be time for you to tackle the next set of opportunities (and problems) that come your way, and inevitably your next list of fears. Focus on your opportunity to succeed. Instead of being afraid that your business will fail, think about the abundant possibilities out there for success. Doesn't that feel better? When you begin to come to terms with the fact that there are more than enough chances to succeed, you begin to assure your own success. When you believe that God-given abundance is your right, you'll discover ways to solve problems, overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. Give yourself some incentive. To overcome a fear, you have to have a reason to take the first step in achieving whatever it is you are afraid to do. Think of something that would make you happy. It could be anything from dinner at your favorite restaurant to buying yourself that cool, new gadget you've been eyeing. After you have overcome your latest fear, treat yourself to dinner at that restaurant or go buy yourself the coveted gadget. Giving yourself an incentive to overcome your fear could be all you need to make yourself take the first step in beating it. Before you do anything, plan it out. Creating a plan for any situation makes it easier to deal with. Whether you are planning out a new business or simply writing out a dialogue of what to say on new business calls, having a plan to fall back on will give you more confidence and will make your fears subside. Go ahead and take the plunge. Action can be a powerful fear killer. The best way to overcome a fear is to prove to yourself that you can do that thing that keeps you lying awake at night staring at the ceiling. If you look at any business deal long enough, you can talk yourself out of it. If you are afraid to start your own business, take the first step in doing so and research the type of business you would like to start. I guarantee you that fear will begin to change into excitement. Find something that you have a passion for, something that you feel you can improve by making it better, faster, or cheaper. As you start to overcome fear after fear, you will discover that you are achieving goals and building self-confidence at the same time. Learn from your failures. Consider this new way of looking at failure: You are a success precisely because of your failures, mistakes, and problems, not in spite of them! It takes a special kind of person to be an entrepreneur, to fight to make a business successful even when the odds are against you. You're a success because you tried to tackle problems head-on, tried to resolve them and learned how to avoid them in the future. The only way to fail in life is to avoid risk or to run from your problems. In fact, there's only one way to assure that you never fail: Don't attempt to do anything. When you realize this truth, your fears should lose much of their power. Fear can often paralyze you into taking no action at all, leaving you and your business dead in the water. Whenever you feel fear creeping in, it is important that you put one of these tips in practice and squash the fear as soon as possible. The longer you let your fear rule what you are doing, the harder it will be to overcome. And if at first you don't succeed, don't let your fears creep back in. Life is too short to obsess over failures, mistakes and missed opportunities. Chalk them up to the cost of obtaining experience! They're just part of the formula that will lead to your success. |
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Being an entrepreneur can be a scary thing. Ok...so it isn't exactly like that TV show. Most likely there won't be anyone making you lie in a container filled with snakes or forcing you to eat cow brains. But there are plenty of other factors that frighten people away from entrepreneurship everyday. The financial risk alone dissuades many promising business owners. You also risk your sense of security, your peace of mind, your regular vacations, your free time, possibly even the harmony of your marriage.
