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Fear and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand.

Some forms of fear are healthy, in fact, some safeguard our very lives- preventing us from doing things that could result in death. While a measure of fear is reasonable, it’s all too easy to get limited by it.

In entrepreneurship, every aspiring mind has a dream, a great plan, and a possible successful outcome. But right next to those positive thoughts is fear, causing the second-guessing of oneself and sapping the mind of the motivation to reach out for success.

Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” -Jack Canfield

In the words of Jack Canfield, fear is a limiting force that needs to be defeated to achieve success. If you are trying to start a business and taking the bold step of sketching out your blueprint for success. Could fear be possibly hindering you from attaining set goals?

Many who are crippled with fear are usually giving excuses like:

  • I don’t really know a lot about that field
  • My ideas are not good enough
  • I have limited time to focus well
  • The competition in the field is high etc.

Do you find yourself making excuses such as these? Are you crippled by fear?

Fear sometimes leads to excuses similar to the ones examined above. You tend to feel something genuine is holding you back, and as such procrastination sets in– you begin to look for the perfect time!

So, you start learning more, reading pages on pages to get busy, and supposedly ”acquiring more knowledge”. However, the possibility of getting sidetracked is high. You may feel the endless researches is a sign of progress but in truth, a waste of time and an excuse to run away from reality.

 

What entrepreneurs must overcome

 

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will’ – Suzy Kassem

As humans, we fear more than just imminent danger, the same way we project success in our minds goes for failure.

Many entrepreneurs spend time thinking about what is achievable by taking a bold step, but before the step is taken, thoughts of failure set in, and this chokes the encouragement to forge ahead. For many these thoughts are fear of:

  • Being rejected
  • Incompetence
  • Self-doubt
  • If success is truly achievable and lots more

When these thoughts dominate the mind, then no action will be taken towards success- just excuses, and that my friend is bad for business!

So, battle hard to rid your mind of fear and its attendant negative effects; making excuses and having doubts.

Overcome your fear and be motivated by following these mantras: The three steps to overcome fear in entrepreneurship.

The first step to overcome fear:  Know your fears!

 

Here, you need to be honest with yourself, after all, it’s a self-examination. So, get a pen, and get honest with yourself.

For a start, pen down your dreams;  things to achieve. Write both what seems realistic and otherwise.

  • Now, write down your fears, include the self-doubts, and the second-guessings.
  • Next, write down how you have been exhibiting these fears. What shadow of excuses you’ve been hiding behind( remember to be honest with yourself)
  • Then comes the realistic stage. In reality, regardless of the level of motivation, you can still fail. So write down other options and how much you will be affected if things don’t turn out well.
  • Then look for ways to recover from the projected scenarios above.

Now, look at what you’ve written so far. It’s simply a plan that has shown your goals,  your fears, worst outcomes, and how to remedy those bad outcomes.

Now, continue writing. Pen down how you will feel if you never tried to reach for goals. Will you forever regret it?

And finally, to bolster your resolve, write down all the positives that could accompany your success.

Will you be a successful blogger even employing people?  Or run an informative and far-reaching tech hub? Dream it, dream it big!

The second step to overcome fear in entrepreneurship: Reassure yourself of the positive.

 

 

Motivation needs fuel, else it extinguishes. Don’t be surprised that even after resolving to be positive and work towards your plan, you may not still be making progress because to resolve is one thing, to carry out is another.  So each day, remind yourself not only of your resolve but also do something towards attaining the desired success. To help you achieve this, do the following:

  • Write down the important actions crucial to your goal
  • Paste it where you can see every morning( Constantly seeing it will serve as a daily reminder for you to focus and not get carried away by unnecessary things).
  • Above all, every milestone you reach stirs you to aim for the next, and the next

Additionally, to keep the dream alive in your head and the motivation burning, write these down every day:

  • What you are dreaming to become
  • The details that will Mark your success, for example; I have reached 1 million audiences, I have employed 50 persons, I am making full-time money, etc
  • Rewrite these things each day alongside new things in your plan to achieve
  • Don’t feel it’s redundant and just stop. Remember that constantly writing it is the fuel needed to keep your motivation burning

The third step to overcome fear: Be consistent!

 

 

Successful entrepreneurs didn’t attain their status simply because they felt no fear. In truth, we all fear the outcome of unseen events. However, these successful ones persisted despite fear. And they didn’t stop there, consistency became the watchword for them. So imitate them by:

  • Facing your fears and walking in it
  • Sacrifice immediate comfort for the longterm benefits
  • Be consistent with your actions despite the fear
  • Don’t be scared and limited by the fear of failure; remember it’s an excellent way to learn
  • Rid yourself of excuses and focus on what you can do
  • Create a plan and break it down into bits for each day
  • Find like minds
  • Celebrate every win, big or small

Conclusion

Take that bold step today and face your fears. Don’t procrastinate anymore. Now, at this very moment is the perfect time. Remember, the world doesn’t revolve around you, and that perfect time may never come. So, do your best and create your own perfect time.  Leave behind the excuses and start small, and when you do always motivate yourself each day to keep going!

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