Fear is the only thing that is stopping you from getting exactly what you want and fear is something that is created inside of you. Whether you grapple with fear of failure or fear of success (much more common), fear of being poor or fear of being rich, fear of not having enough clients or fear of having too many clients, you fears are determining your future by claiming your present.
You are in charge of facing your fears, shining light on them so they disappear, or continuing to feed them by hiding them in the dark. Take a look at Susan’s story and see if it sounds familiar.
When I spoke with Susan, her business was badly stalled. This was her second business and her first one had been a runaway success.
Somewhere in between her businesses she found fear, and now it was stopping her cold.
She had the experience, the education (even the certification), the testimonials, the expertise, and the track record all to prove her abilities, testify to her talent, and be an example to her clients…
Yet she doubted.
Do you have the education, expertise, experience, testimonials and track record but find yourself frozen in fear unable to take a step forward and in a super sticky stuck place in your business?
That sucks and you deserve to break free.
Fear is something everyone deals with, your choice is to face it and conquer it or hide from it and allow it to stall your business and steal your life. You can turn your fears into fuel with simple consistent action that remove the power from your fears. Select one or all three of the following ACTIONS and notice the shift you feel even in the first day of taking targeted action to turn your fear into fuel.
#1 Create Your Confidence Kit
Make a list of your top accomplishments. You can include personal with the business achievements if you want to. Go as far back as you need to. If you were a star student and struggling now, bring that star student forward. (Though I’m betting you’ve got something far more recent to remember.)
Pick your top 5 accomplishments and record them on an index card, read this every morning and evening and carry it with you to pull out for a quick confidence boost before client interaction.
#2 Care for Yourself FIRST
Give yourself at least one hour per day (yes, it may mean getting up earlier or staying up later, or giving up something that is not fueling you, like mindless TV.) In this hour, it is all about ultimate self care. For me that means meditation, inspirational reading, time to journal my thoughts and feelings, and exercise. For you it may be similar or it might mean a massage, listening to soothing music, visualizing your success, getting outdoors for a walk or anything else that rejuvenates your soul.
This is your time alone without the distraction of others and no one else has to “approve” of what you want to do. I find that too often women in business, in particular, have a very challenging time stating what they want for themselves. We are too caught up in taking care of everyone else. This is your time exclusively.
#3 Read or Watch Biographies
It is incredibly helpful to understand that the most successful people struggle with confidence at times; that they have their own fear places. No one is the overnight success that you imagine, and often learning of the setbacks they experienced will put yours in perspective and help you to keep going, stepping through the fear into your inspired future.
Whether you favor the biographies of politicians, authors, actors, humanitarians, global leaders, or entrepreneurs is less important than simply that you are lifted out of your own story by reading or watching theirs. My personal favorite is the movie “Pursuit of Happyness” with Will Smith. It is based on a true story and seeing what he was able to conquer is testament to the true limitlessness of human potential.
There are thousands of fixes for fear, but none matter as much as the immediate action you take to shine the light on your fears consistently so they disappear. Fear is fed by darkness, by being kept in the deep recesses of your psyche. Fear is fed by ignorance and stories that you got growing up and never let go of. It’s time to graduate into your next level of success.
WHAT ACTION WILL YOU OR DO YOU TAKE TO TURN YOUR FEARS INTO FUEL FOR YOUR FUTURE??? I’d love your comments below.
