Entrepreneurship is a journey filled with risks, uncertainties, and challenges. While running a business is exciting, it can also feel overwhelming and scary at times. Although fear is common, it does not need to hold you back from achieving success!
What exactly is fear?
Put simply, fear is an immediate and automatic response to something threatening in your environment. For entrepreneurs, the “threat” could be a public speech, significant meeting, financial decisions, etc.
Fear is a full-body, stressful experience of anticipating something bad might happen. When something frightens you, parts of your brain that focus on detecting threats go on high alert. Signals tell the rest of your body to flood with hormones and prepare you to react effectively (LeDoux, 2003). This high-alert response involves many changes in your body, including but not limited to:
- Rapid heartbeat
- Dry mouth
- Sweating
- Flushed face
- Shaking
- Shortness of breath
- Dizzy or lightheaded
- Indigestion
- Chest pain or tightness in your chest
- Getting chills
In addition to physical symptoms, fear can be described as feeling overwhelmed, out of control, nervous, or numb. Often, the words “fear” and “anxiety” are used synonymously. While the two are interrelated, they are not synonymous. If you respond effectively to the fearful situation, you may not fear it as much next time. However, if you don’t resolve or get out of the fearful situation, you will worry about that situation happening again, which is when anxiety develops. As such, anxiety develops when there is a fearful situation that you don’t think you can handle.
The impact of fear in my entrepreneurial journey.
Fear has shown up in my entrepreneurial journey in so many ways! Fear of failure, rejection, or embarrassment are common companions on my entrepreneurial journey. Most recently, I had a launch and fear was popping up the entire time I was creating it – why would any select me over the people who have been doing this forever? What makes me different?
Then, the day after the launch, a plugin update caused my site to crash. My immediate reaction was frustration and then I really started to question if this was all a sign I was not meant to do this work.
Once I was able to get out of my emotional brain, logic kicked in. I was able to see the role fear was playing and how I needed to overcome it. I was able to shift focus from the problem (my fear) to the solution (what I could learn and how to improve).
This is just a small fraction of how fear has shown up in my journey thus far. While I have no doubt I will experience fear many more times in my entrepreneurial journey, I am also certain that I can preserve. And, I want to help you preserve too!
What role has fear played in your entrepreneurial journey?
Fear arises when you’re taking risks — risks that can either result in “failure” or success. By being willing to overcome fear, you make it possible to experience great success!
How to overcome fear so you can achieve your success.
Fear is a natural emotion that comes with the territory of entrepreneurship. Although fear threatens to hold you back from achieving success, with the right mindset and strategies you can break free from fear and achieve success. Here are some tips on how to break free from fear in entrepreneurship:
- Acknowledge your fears.
The first step in overcoming fear is to acknowledge it. Identify what is causing you to feel fearful (and possibly anxious) about your business. This can include fear of failure, fear of losing money, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, and so much more. Once you know what is causing your fear, you take steps to address it.
- Focus on your strengths.
Entrepreneurship requires a unique set of skills. You have many strengths to help you succeed. Focusing on your strengths will give you confidence in your abilities and help you overcome your fears. Identify what you are good at and work on improving those skills.
- See mistakes as opportunities to learn.
It is essential to view “mistakes” as a learning opportunity rather than as a setback. Analyze what went wrong, identify areas for improvement, and use that knowledge to make better decisions in the future. By practicing finding benefits with past difficulties, you will be able to enhance this ability so that you are more resilient.
- Visualize success.
Visualization is a powerful tool that can help you overcome fear and achieve success. Close your eyes and imagine yourself succeeding in your business. Visualize the end result, the feelings of accomplishment, and the positive impact it will have on your life. Use this visualization as motivation to push through your fears and take action towards achieving your goals. By imagining yourself doing well, you feel more positive, which can enhance your performance and thus, the likelihood of success.
- Reframe your mindset about fear.
Reframe your mindset to view fear as a challenge or an opportunity for growth rather than a barrier. Completing important tasks — tasks that you could fail at — is stressful. But how you choose to approach stress is up to you. If you choose to view fear as a challenge, then you’re more likely to think you are capable of handling it. Fear can actually be a powerful motivator to push you to take action towards your goals!
- Be compassionate toward yourself.
As an entrepreneur, it is inevitable that you will feel there are not enough hours in the day, make a mistake, and disappoint yourself. In these moments, it is critical to be kind to yourself. Remember, everyone struggles and there is no need to feel guilty or put yourself down. Instead, try talking to yourself in a supportive, kind, and caring way. Practicing self-compassion will help you persist and achieve your goals.
- Surround yourself with support.
As you learn to break free from fear and challenge the thoughts holding you back, it can be helpful to surround yourself with people who support and encourage you to succeed. Join a networking group or find a mentor who can offer guidance and support. Connecting with others contributes to your entrepreneurial journey of growth, self-compassion and success. Read about cultivating an entrepreneurial community.
Ready to break free from the shackles of fear?
It takes tremendous courage to rise above the shackles of fear, but it’s crucial if you want to unleash your unique abilities and achieve success. While fear is a natural part of entrepreneurship, it doesn’t have to hold you back. You can break free from fear and use it as a tool for growth and success.
The strategies I share and teach are not new but my approach to using them is. Further, it is less about the strategies and more about having a coach to help see when you need them and to encourage you to use them. If you are ready to overcome your fears, Ancorio offers individual coaching and RESET Retreats.
