Fear…what we all have to battle to move the needle on any new endeavor, and my constant companion.
Whether you are getting ready to go on a date with someone new or trying to gather the courage to persuade your boss or even your husband to support and invest in you – building and growing your own business is not different. It will also require conquering fear, and not just once but repeatedly as you face new things, as perhaps only one conversation with a boss, a new man, or your husband. So there must be a strategy in place.
For those of us that are going to continually face fear, listen up.
Conquering fear is one of the very utmost concerns when training in the military. It is not the actual enemy that is the biggest obstacle, but perception and focus within the individual.
How does the military so effectively train its participants to not cave in to fear when what they signed up for is bound to make them face their fears over and over and over again?
Very early on in their training, military participants are taught that they are not just fighting for themselves but for their fellow man – the one right next to them. They are taught a deep sense of camaraderie and responsibility to one another. That takes the focus OFF the individual and ON to the other.
It is that OTHER focus that draws out of them the deep courage needed to repeatedly fend off the fear, insecurity, worry, and anxiety that lurks to repeatedly act in faith and confidence for the greater good.
What we learn from this is that when facing new things (unfamiliar, perhaps intimidating things), fears will be activated and one very effective strategy is to draw courage (coming from the word coeur, meaning heart) from moving the focus off your feelings and tapping into your care for another.
Successful growth, including in business for me, means regularly drawing courage, thus keeping those I care about and are serving with what I am doing front and center.
When my career in the ministry came to a sudden end at 49 and I had forfeited my position in my family business, I was floundering trying to find my way forward. I longed for:
- A clear pathway to appear to a great new chapter
- Someone dedicated to my success
- Someone to believe in me when I didn’t believe in me
- Someone to walk with me through a simple, structured, proven plan
- Someone to coach, encourage, and support me through this very scary transition who had gone ahead and could see the way from a better vantage point
- Someone I could trust both professionally and spiritually
Ahhh, what I would have paid for that and still do!
But the biggest thing I needed to do to move past my paralyzing fear to step into the unknown was to draw courage by identifying and connecting to those I would make life better for.
My definition of ‘Successful’ business is about making life better for _____________ (you fill in the blank).
Join us on Saturday, April 23rd to hear from some pretty amazing women business professionals who have all found the courage because they are clear that they make life better for someone. Click here to grab your spot.
They will be sharing the essentials of starting and growing your own successful business. Everything from the mindset, to the finances, to the admin support, to the strategic growth that brings the lifeblood of sales, to the hiring and team building that will enable you to scale will be shared. I am so proud of this group of women. Get your pens out and notebooks ready. Some of the most courageous and heart-sy, yet smart and faith-filled women you will meet are here to help you (and me) see how to make a living with your own vision.
I hope you are helped by this thought. I wrestle with my fears daily. So know you are not alone.
Here’s to conquering YOUR fears because the world really does need what you have!
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