The
chord has been cut with the full time day job, the fear of the unknown sits at
the forefront of the mind whilst the excitement of the amazing journey of
running your own business is that little bit louder than all the logic you know
will come up.
Whilst
I was reviewing my business plan, I had an epiphany about that fear of failure
which seems to have been ingrained from a very young age. The epiphany was what
if there was no failure? What if failure became feedback? The feedback I needed
to go the extra mile, to step up and make the decisions I need to make my dream
and business the best that it can be. When I thought about this all of a sudden
the picture looked very different.
It is
common that our fear inhibits our very ability to move forward. There are
thousands of articles on the element of fear, how to work past and how to avoid
it. I say ‘embrace it’. Fear is your security blanket and it can help you
overcome your biggest obstacle – You.
As
paradoxical as this may sound there is logic to my mad analogy.
Our
fears are based on our beliefs and our beliefs are based on our values. So,
what are your values? Perhaps they are compassion, love or even something else
all together.
1.
Make
a list of at least three of your core values, the ones that reflect who you are
as a person.
2.
What
beliefs do you have that relate to these values? I believe that I am happy when
I demonstrate compassion. I believe I can have a fulfilling life when I am
healthy. I believe that love rules the world. There is no right or wrong to
this. Write down at least one belief for each of your values.
I can
imagine you asking what this has to do with embracing your fears. We will get
to that.
3.
Ask
yourself – what do you need to survive? This can be your own definition of
survival whether it is money, security and support. Write down three things.
How do
these reflect to your beliefs and your values? Perhaps they are the same,
different or even partially similar?
You
now have three different lists of what makes you react to your environment.
4.
The
last thing now is to write down three things you fear. How do these relate to
what you need to survive, the beliefs you have and your core values?
Take
one fear that you know comes up again and again. Reword it to become a positive
belief and align it to one of your values. By doing this your fear is no longer
inhibiting and has become an empowering belief that can channel what is
important to who you are.
So,
when you start your first day of your business or even your 100th,
you have a strategy in the back of your pocket to keep you aligned and true to
you.
Isn’t
it about time you focused on your success?