Facing Your Fears As An Entrepreneur

If you're an entrepreneur, you know that there are no guarantees in business. No matter how big your idea or how much money you have, people will take a chance on it for all the wrong reasons. They may not buy into your cause, or they may try to push their agenda on what's best for your business. And while it can feel like nobody is fighting alongside with you, we want to assure you that we are in this together! Throughout this post, we'll explore why fear might be holding you back and how to work through it.

We're All Afraid Of Something

Whether we admit it or not, fear is something that ties us all together. It's what makes us question doing certain things, yet it can make us get out of bed each day and go after what we want. Hanging out of a helicopter is scary, but skydiving feels amazing! It's this thrill-seeking emotion that can be addicting and paralyzing at the same time. Achieving success isn't always a straight line either; there will be many bumps along the way where you'll feel lost and confused about your path as an entrepreneur. 

We all have fears of taking risks, losing control, and being ridiculed for our vision. While these aren't fun to talk about, it's important we take notice of what might be holding you back when it comes to getting out there and chasing your dreams. If you're feeling a little intimidated, don't worry -- we've got you covered!

Fear of Missing Out  (The "FOMO" Factor) Did you know that FOMO is a real fear that has caused many people to make bad decisions? In recent years, this anxiety has taken over social media with the new phenomenon of posting where you are every hour on the hour. You see these posts in your newsfeed and wonder, "Why do they do this? I'm not doing anything exciting!"

However, if we're honest with ourselves, we can admit that we can't help but look at what others are doing and feeling envy. The fear of missing out is what keeps us up at night wondering if someone is getting rich or losing a big promotion, so of course we want to know! We have this obsession with what others have accomplished and striving for the same success. Our minds always have something to worry about on the outside (usually others) while we're obsessing over what's going on within (ourself).

Trying to be like others will only make you feel trapped inside your own mind. It's impossible to become someone different because that's not who you are -- and that's okay! When you finally realize that, life becomes less complicated. If another person is living the kind of life you want, it doesn't mean that you should be doing the same thing because we're all different individuals. You can learn from their success, but make it your own along the way.

Fear of Making Mistakes   (The "Fear of Failure") Henry Ford said, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. The trick is to die with your boots on. "This quote from one of America's greatest inventors, engineers and businessmen can be applied to all aspects of our lives. There will always be something new to learn, something else we can grow from. Even the most seasoned survival expert is going to make mistakes throughout the day -- it's how you react to those mistakes that determine your success and failure in life.

As an entrepreneur, we have all experienced the unpleasant feeling of receiving a negative review or bad feedback about a job/business idea/product that we put our entire heart and soul into. This is the emotion every person who works in business runs from. It's not easy to feel discouraged after putting in a lot of hard work and getting rejected by an angry customer, but you know that you're only one step away from getting it right!

We can learn from the things we've done wrong and get better at what we're doing. There will always be setbacks along the way, but don't let them shake your confidence because you can overcome this fear by learning something new along the way. Remember that failure isn't bad; it's how we deal with it after making a mistake that matters most.

Fear of Standing Out   (The "Imposter Syndrome") "I don't know if I'm ready for this," you say. "I feel like everyone is going to laugh at me for even trying." Making decisions is already hard as it is, but when we're afraid that others are going to point fingers at you, it only makes the situation worse. You might not be confident in your ability to complete a project or your skill set, and that's okay!

We all have doubts about how we measure up against our peers because the world has a way of making us doubt who we are as people. It's okay to have doubts because we have experience, qualifications and knowledge that makes us different. We are good enough as we are, but sometimes we feel like the world needs to know more about us.

We know that you can't become someone else, but you can change your perception on yourself. Everyone's a work in progress; there is no one perfect person out there. Don't let other people's positive or negative comments get to you too much because their opinion doesn't matter -- only yours does!

Fear of Failure – Part 2  (What You Should Stop Worrying About) While fear can be a major distraction from our dreams, it's also important to relax when feeling uneasy about your business. Remember that there will always be bumps in the road along the way, so you can learn from the things that are happening.

It's not always easy to know when to quit, but you've got to decide if it is worth continuing on or paying someone else to continue for you. Learn from every mistake you make and push forward for your goals: what's stopping you? Are you spending more time worrying about what could go wrong than actually working on your own business? Is it making your work slower or less efficient? If so, then it might be time to move on without any regrets.

As much as we would like our business success stories shared with others, we can't do everything ourselves.

Conclusion

It's impossible to be successful if we're always scared of what might happen in the future. It's time to take action, go out there and take care of business! You can't let other people's thoughts control your actions because it will only make things worse for yourself.

Patience is a virtue when you're trying to succeed. Take it one step at a time and make sure to celebrate when you accomplish a small goal along the way (that's how you know you're on the right path). The fear might be real, but there comes a point where we just need to accept our current situation from an entirely different perspective.