Five Ways Business Owners Can Overcome Their Fears

by Andrea Novakowski

Fear is a powerful instinct that colors many of our business decisions whether we’re aware of it, or not.

Think about it; how often are you influenced, or even paralyzed, by your fear(s) of what could go wrong? Yet some people have figured out how to use fear to their advantage, to harness fear’s energy to actually help them get more things done. How can YOU be one of those fearless people?

Below are five ideas that will help you to move away from fear, and toward bold action(s)…

#1 Reframe Your Thoughts:  What’s important is not what happens to you, but how you view it. Frequently our fears are based not on reality, but on a story we’ve imagined about something that happened in the past. You had an unpleasant experience, you drew some conclusions about it, and now you have a negative belief about that entire event.

Any time a similar situation comes up, you automatically shrink from it, because of your previous experience. What if you look for other possible ways to tell that same story? For example, you could re-tell that “imaginary” story to yourself, and have it end with a positive outcome.

#2 Remove The Unknown: Fear was causing my client Maxine, an environmental consultant, to drag her feet about getting an important business proposal done and delivered. During our coaching meeting, I asked her: “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Maxine thought for a moment, and said: “Well, the worst thing would be that after putting all this work into my proposal; the prospect rejects it.”

I then asked Maxine: “What’s the best thing that could happen?” She replied: “The company agrees to the proposal, and I get to work on a project I’ve wanted to for years!” Looking at the potential upsides, and downsides, made Maxine realize that the possible rewards for getting her business proposal finished far outweighed the possibility of it being rejected.

#3 Record Your Ideas: Another client, Stefan, woke up at 2:30 a.m. racked with anxiety about a problem with the month’s business financial statistics. As he watched the clock turn to 3 a.m., he remembered what I’d told him to do whenever his mind starts going on an endless loop. He turned on the light, picked up a pen and paper, and wrote down all the thoughts going through his head.

When he was done, he fell asleep knowing that he had some good ideas about how to fix the company financial situation. He also was confident in the fact that he would not forget those good ideas, because he had written them down!. Immediately writing down your thoughts and/or ideas lets you quit traveling down the same negative or forgetful mental pathways. It also allows you to be confident, and to take control.

#4 Reposition Yourself: Instead of slumping and making yourself appear smaller; stand up straight, hold your head up, and look people in the eye. Believe it or not, placing yourself in a posture of confidence and power can have a positive affect on your body chemistry, and give you the boost you need to break out of your fear(s).

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy is known for her promotion of the “power posing” self improvement technique.

#5 Remember To Breathe: You’re standing at the podium, and the butterflies in your stomach have just transformed into boulders. What do you do? According to communication expert Cheryl Dolan, deep belly breathing is the most powerful antidote to stage fright, or any other situation you perceive as threatening.

“It slows your heart rate, focuses your mind, and instantly interrupts the fight-or-flight chemicals in your central nervous system; allowing you to be calm and responsive vs. reactive and anxious,” Dolan says.

Lastly, take a minute to consider how fear might spur you to become even more successful in your business. In a 2014 Success Magazine interview, inventor and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil noted that some people are so afraid of failure that they don’t even try to succeed. He prefers to see failure as only a setback, and just part of a growth process that can then be improved upon. Ray even has a special term for any personal or business failure: “success deferred“.

Andrea Novakowski is an executive coach who has been helping clients align their professional goals with their personal values since 1997. By tapping into Coach Andrea’s knowledge, tools, and skills; clients are able to blend career development, and personal growth, to reach higher productivity and deeper levels of job and/or personal satisfaction. Visit her website: www.coachandrea.com to download this eBook: “Top 7 Tips of the Week for Business Owners,” and to request a complimentary coaching session.