Overcome Your Fears and Find Your Freedom to Flourish

When you were a kid, do you remember being scared of the dark?

Key takeaways

✓The fastest way to banish your fear is to name it, claim it by defining what you’re truly afraid of, and then drop it so you can move forward.

✓Most business owners fear failure without understanding what it actually looks like, and when you define the worst-case scenario, you often realize how absurd and unlikely it is.

✓Your pride, creativity, and resourcefulness will keep you from rock bottom, so you can shift your focus from fear to creating success.

✓Fear in business is like fear of the dark: you’re not afraid of the unknown itself, but of what you can’t see and don’t yet understand.

Do you remember needing a night light or asking to keep the door to your bedroom open so the hall light would help keep the dark monsters away?

In my case, it was the clothes monster.

My sister and I shared bunk beds, and we had a chair in the corner of the room. My sister would always pile her clothes on the back of that chair and when I’d wake up in the dark, in the middle of the night, I was so scared because it looked like a monster to me. (TRUE STORY, that may be one of the reasons, I became such a neat freak, no clothing monsters in my house!)

And have you noticed that in really scary movies, they always have the really gruesome and bad things happen after dark, often in bedrooms . . . Booga Booga.

When you break down the fear of the dark, it isn’t actually the dark you were afraid of, but instead what you couldn’t see.

The same holds true today in your business.

Freedom from Fear

You are afraid of what you can’t see and don’t yet understand or know.

The fastest way to banish your fear is to NAME IT, CLAIM IT, and DROP IT!

Lots of business owners fear FAILURE. It’s ugly, it’s scary. But, most of them haven’t got a clue what failure really looks like, if they did they wouldn’t be so afraid.

So, let’s start with Fear of Failure. We’ve named it.

Now, to claim it, we have to define it. What does it really look like to you?

For me, I have a game I play, and I imagine if I lost everything, whose basement could I live in till I got back on my feet.

Now, in my imagination I actually picture how my life will look squashed into someone’s basement, boxes piled high, relying on their goodwill for meals and more.  I figure I’ll be able to trade housekeeping services (I had a cleaning service in college) and decorating or coaching tips for their hospitality.

Then, I start to grin because I realize how absurd that is. Even if it happened, I’d be out of there in 6 months because I have too much pride, creativity, and resourcefulness to let that last (you do t00!) Frankly, those three attributes will keep me (and you) out of that place, entirely.

So then, I find my fear of failure totally unfounded and I turn my focus to success. TRY IT!

I recently did an exercise like this with a client who was hesitating to leave his abusive marriage of 39 years.

(Yeah, business coaching isn’t all I do.) More than anything else, he was afraid of what other people would say about him, if he left.

So I told him to write down 10 phrases that he thought others would say. As expected, while there were one or two that were negative, the rest all supported his decision to leave. He named his fear, he defined it by making the list, and now he can drop it and move forward.

(Everyone deserves to live a healthy and happy life without abusive relationships.)

Okay, YOUR TURN, go ahead and write down your fear, NAME IT.

Then define what you are truly afraid of, CLAIM IT.

Then read it over and let it go, DROP IT.

I lean to the dramatic side, so I always imagine what is the absolute rock bottom worst thing that could happen, and realize pretty quickly, it totally won’t occur. I can then shift my focus to creating the best since I’ve let go of the FEAR that was stopping me.

Frequently asked questions

How do I overcome fear of failure in my interior design business?

Name your fear, claim it by defining what failure actually looks like to you, and then drop it. When you imagine the absolute worst-case scenario, you’ll often realize it’s absurd and unlikely because your pride, creativity, and resourcefulness will keep you moving forward. Once you let go of the fear, you can shift your focus to creating success.

What are interior designers really afraid of when they fear failure?

Most interior design firm owners fear failure without understanding what it actually looks like. The fear isn’t about the dark or the unknown itself, but about what you can’t see and don’t yet understand in your business. When you define the fear specifically, you can see how unfounded it is and move past it.

How do I stop worrying about what other people will say about my business decisions?

Write down 10 phrases you think others would say about your decision. You’ll likely find that while one or two might be negative, the rest will support your choice. This exercise helps you name the fear, claim it by making it concrete, and then drop it so you can move forward with confidence.

Do this exercise and share the results here. I’m betting you’ll feel better and leave a great example for someone else to follow. COMMENT BELOW!

About Melissa Galt

Melissa Galt is a sought-after business coach, marketing consultant, keynote speaker and workshop leader who empowers designers to build highly profitable businesses, without the burnout. With over three decades as the principal of her namesake successful residential design firm, Melissa brings firsthand experience and proven strategies to guide creative professionals earn more in less time, with less stress.

She is the author of four transformative bestselling books, Marketing Luxury Design: Attracting Affluent Clients; The Language of Success: 35 Words to Boost Your Worth & Wealth; Design Discovery: The Proven Process to Land Ideal Clients & Grow Profit, and Proximity to Profits: 50 Strategic Locations to Meet Affluent Clients.

She is also the host of the weekly Design Business Freedom™ podcast, where she shares unfiltered advice on mindset, money, and marketing for interior design pros ready to elevate their game. When you’re ready to take your practice to the next level, book a complimentary Design Business Assessment with Melissa.

Melissa draws inspiration from her legacy of iconic creatives including her mother, the late Academy Award-winning actress Anne Baxter; her godmother, the legendary eight-time Oscar-winning costume designer Edith Head; and her great-grandfather, American architectural icon Frank Lloyd Wright. Get your Design Dream Team Builder at melissagalt.com/interior-design-templates.