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.