A client and I were talking this week about her
three-year vision for her business growth and her
current list
of ninety day goals. She was upset about the vast
uncharted territory she could see in her mind's eye
stretching between the two documents.
It was a large black hole, filled with what if's?, how can
I's? and I'm not good enoughs. It was more than a
hole; it was an abyss. The abyss of fear. I've
seen it frequently and you've seen it, too. Everyone
who owns a business knows the mind numbing
powers of the abyss and the affect on your business
self confidence.
Fear is the universal four way stop sign for
your business progress. Almost like the purpose of a
stop sign in traffic: slow down, stop, look all ways,
evaluate risk and go, fear can prevent the go part from
happening. Have you ever been stopped by fear in
your business with a situation like four drivers who
arrive simultaneously at a four way stop intersection?
They signal via mouthing and sign language, " You go,
No you go, No you go!", in a jerky round dance of starts
and stops.
Fear is a good emotion for saving lives. It
works well.
Fear is not the best emotion for growing businesses;
it keeps you restricted and circling like a tetherball tied
to a pole.
The bravest warriors, explorers and business
owners all know fear.
But I don't mean
they
recognize it, I mean they know what to do
about it. They know that fear never goes away
entirely, it's always lurking. They know that
trusting their own ability to deal with fears is
more important than trying to eliminate every fear
before driving through their mental intersections on
the success path.
The route between now and your ambitious three year
business vision will be a rough trail of uncertainty.
You are uncertain because the how am I going
to get there piece is missing. And if the HOW
blank isn't filled in, fear fills it in for you.
Lions, tigers and bears, OH my!
Faith in your own ability will replace fear and you will
work through the how part. You've done it before;
you'll do it again.
How was answered for Edison, The Wright
Brothers
and Jonas Salk. While your business may not have
world impact on technology, travel or disease
eradication, your successful lesson, training or
breeding business is of major significance to
everyone you are connected with and most important,
to you.
My message this week is simple. The minute you get
clear on where you are going, how
you are going to get there will begin to unfold.
