Let’s talk about fear, shall we?
As entrepreneurs—no, as humans—we feel fear all the time. Whether we are conscious of it or not, it floats in and out of our minds and bodies, like breathing.
But as entrepreneurs, I think we feel it more than the average person. Or at least differently.
I’m talking about the fear of being wrong. The fear of failure. The fear of being called a fraud. The fear of confrontation. The fear of being embarrassed.
As a consultant, I experience fear regularly. I make all kinds of decisions for myself and my clients daily.
Some decisions are simple and some are a challenge.
Sometimes I need to defend those decisions. Sometimes I am wrong, and often I am right!
Other times altogether, fear is just a feeling that sits in the background like a damp fog. I’m sure you know what I mean.
It’s just there. It poses no imminent threat. It feels tangible, and yet it is not.
Lately, I have been actively acknowledging my fears. Simply noticing them; a hat tip to the fact that we live on the brink of chaos no matter how in control we believe we are.
I remember that fear is an indicator of progress.
Fear means I am trying things. I am learning. I am making decisions, taking action, and seeing results.
And after the fear is the reward. The euphoria. The results.
Pushing through fear is what gives me confidence.
Fear is something I will not avoid because nobody ever grew by avoiding their fears.
(NB: I felt fear in writing and publishing this post.)