Overcoming Fear as an Entrepreneur

Overcoming Fear in Your Mind

Overcoming fear in your mind will allow you the freedom to pursue goals and dreams that otherwise might seem unattainable. And if you are struggling with fears with any regularity, know that you are definitely not alone. All of us have fear, both real and imagined. Fear keeps you at a distance from your goals. In fact, you may have heard the acronym for the word FEAR which is:

• False
• Evidence
• Appearing
• Real

Fear will creep up on you when you attempt to do something new, or out of the ordinary, or that you lack the confidence to attempt to do. This feeling can grip your chest and make it difficult to breathe.

Seth Godin wrote about this very topic in his recent post on the topic of tension vs. fear:

But when we try to learn something on our own, we often get stuck.

It’s not because of fear, it’s because of tension.

The tension we face any time we’re about to cross a threshold. The tension of this might work vs. this might not work. The tension of if I learn this, will I like who I become?

Tension is the hallmark of a great educational experience. The tension of not quite knowing where we are in the process, not being sure of the curriculum, not having a guarantee that it’s about to happen.

As adults, we willingly expose ourselves to the tension of a great jazz concert, or a baseball game or a thrilling movie. But, mostly because we’ve been indoctrinated by fear, we hesitate when we have the opportunity to learn something new on our way to becoming the person we seek to be.

Effective teachers have the courage to create tension. And adult learners on their way to levelling up actively seek out this tension, because it works. It pushes us over the chasm to the other side.

I grew up in a home where most everything was based in fear. My mother had a fear of poverty, so we were poor. She feared strangers, so she had few friends. And she feared accidents, so we seldom traveled away from our city. My response was to rebel against that and do all of the things she feared the most. Perhaps I was creating tension as Seth describes and explains in the above quote.

As a new entrepreneur I found myself in what seemed like an uphill battle overcoming fears around public speaking, writing of all types, information product creation, and teaching online courses. My perception during those initial years was that I was too old, not smart enough, inexperienced, and not well connected enough to become successful. Looking back I cannot imagine what I was thinking, other than about the fear gripping me and causing this overwhelming lack of confidence.

Now that I have put myself in the position of maintaining a strong work ethic and embracing life’s struggles I am willing to push through my fears head on to attain the results and outcomes I desire most. My “what ifs” contain positive endings, as in “what if I write a book and it becomes a bestseller?” and “what if I speak at a marketing conference and they love what I am sharing,” It continues to be a daily task to identify these fears and to move past them, and well worth the time and effort to do so. Life is much sweeter when the glass is always half full.

Thinking will not be the path to overcoming fear; taking massive action in the right direction will. Are you taking daily actions to move through and past any fears you have and on to the life you want and deserve?

I’m author and online marketing strategist Connie Ragen Green. I work with entrepreneurs to create multiple streams of online income and would love to connect with you. Pick up my Online Entrepreneur’s Blueprint and get started right away.