CONQUERING FEAR

Fear is the greatest obstacle between us and our business goals.  We may think it is down to objections, insufficient resources or circumstances outside our control.  But it is often fear that keeps us from progressing out of our comfort zone.

Unfortunately, we cannot eliminate fear.  But we can learn how to manage it.

FEAR OF FAILURE

Examples: I’ll let my loved ones down … I’ll lose all my money… I’ll feel ashamed

People who fear failure must learn the difference between devastation and disappointment. You will come up against some disappointing situations in business, but rarely devastating.

Strategy I: Think about your worst fear in business.  Then analyse the situation with a rational mind. How likely is it that it will materialise?  Now challenge your fears out loud and believe every word.

Example: I have handled disappointment before.  I can do it again. I am strong.

This won’t feel natural…but do it anyway.  Like any skill, controlling catastrophic thinking takes practice.

Strategy II: Make a list of everything in your life that didn’t turn out as you planned…now think about where that lead you and how you overcome it.

Example: I didn’t get the job I wanted…which made me apply to the one I work in now and I am happy

FEAR OF SUCCESS

Sometimes our fear comes from the complete opposite place to fear of failure. Sometimes we are stopped by the fear of what will happen if we do succeed. This fear is often based on preconceptions formed in childhood…from our parents’ beliefs…or what we observed in the adults around us.

Example: Successful people are ALWAYS busy.  If I do something well, people will expect more of me and I will be forced to work even harder.

Strategy: When you are having these thoughts, ask yourself what you are going to gain by not succeeding.  More free time?  Less responsibility?  Identify the assumptions that underlie your thinking.  Are they true?

Example: A manager consistently avoided taking on challenges at work.  As a result, she was regularly passed over for promotions.  When she was a child, the manager’s father, a salesman, was on the road for long periods.  The daughter was afraid that being too successful would make her an absent mother to her own children.

FEAR OF CHANGE

 Even when we want things to be different, change can make us feel extremely vulnerable.

Strategy: Identify daily routines that make you feel content — from walking the dog to reading the paper over your morning coffee. Pick at least three of these anchors, and resolve to continue doing them every day, no matter what else happens.

Example: It is difficult to make sales calls, so I start each morning by listening to motivational speakers and having my favorite coffee.