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WHEN FEAR BLOCKS YOUR PROGRESS
Every Entrepreneur Experiences Fear on the Road to Success. Here's What You Can Do About it.
By Mike Foley
Maybe this scenario is familiar to you:
You set a goal in your creative, business or personal life. Your excitement grows and you begin to see progress--your ideas for a new product or service begin to take shape, your small business is doing well, and your vision of success draws nearer. Yet just when everything seems poised for success, it all grinds to a halt.
Why?
Because you're suddenly overcome with fear.
Fear is such a common human emotion that we often accept its invasion into our lives without giving it much thought. It hangs over our daily activities, and we feel powerless to stop it. In the world of invention and small business, people often fear the unknown future, afraid of either failure or success.
Fear of failure is the concern that our plans won't work out. Fear of success, on the other hand, is the feeling that even if we get what we want, we might be unable to handle the challenges that come with a successful lifestyle. In either case, the fear can be paralyzing, blocking our creativity and stopping progress toward our goals.
And fear is often personal, manifesting in different ways in each individual. It may show up as a sudden inability to think clearly or concentrate of tasks. It may also appear as a constant focus on negative outcomes, a sense of panic, or a sudden lack of confidence. And no matter what the form, we can experience a feeling of discomfort and in many cases, an inability to act. The very goals that used to delight us now seem unattainable.
So what can we do?
Fortunately, in most cases we can deal with fear with by taking the time to refocus and reconnect with our original vision. A few simple steps can help.
1. The Root--What is the real root of your fear? In many cases, it has little to do with the current project you're involved in. And it can often be traced back to a past experience--a childhood experience, or even the memory of another project that went bad. If you can identify where that "root fear" is, you can often separate it from the current experience. So finding the root is a good first step.2. Listing--Once you've identified the root fear, ask yourself how it relates to the current situation. Start by asking yourself "What's the worst that can happen?" Make a list of those things that might go wrong. Once you have them written on paper, they often seem less scary. Even better, you can begin addressing them, either discarding them as minor concerns or making plans to deal with them should they actually occur. The result? You begin reclaiming a sense of power.
3. Refocus--Think back to the moment when you had your original idea, the original vision. Think about how you felt--the excitement of trying a new venture, the hopeful exhilaration as your envisioned success. By reconnecting with those earlier feelings, you can once again make them dominant as you work toward your goals.
4. Relax--Sometimes, fear can take hold when we work too hard or too long, without taking the time for a break, time to relax. A short daily nap can go a long way toward recharging ourselves and staying positive. And activities like yoga, meditation or tai chi can train us to let go and relax. In addition, daily aerobic exercise is a great way to beat stress and stay healthy mentally and physically.
As you get closer to your goals, the stress can open the door to fear. Don't allow that fear to block your progress. Identify it and be proactive in dealing with it. And if you continue to be paralyzed by fear, a mental-health professional can often help you get back on track.
Mike Foley has been editor of the Dream Merchant since 1990. To check out his service for aspiring writers, visit his website at: http://www.writers-review.com
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