As a financial investor, you know that you have to overcome fear or risk in order to hit it big with an investment. The same is true as a business owner. Think of your business venture as crossing an unstable bridge that’s connected to two huge cliffs. You are going to be pretty nervous to make your way to the other side, right? In order to be a successful business person you have to make it to the other side safe and sound.
Millions of people all across the continent work at jobs that they hate every day because fear keeps them there. It actually makes sense. Why walk away from a solid paycheck and a steady job. The comfort of knowing that you have enough money is worth not taking the risk and living the life of your dreams, right?
Wrong.
It takes a strong will and a solid belief in yourself to move past any fears of a risky job move or a risky investment. The only way that you can succeed in business and investing is to learn how to get past fears that hold you back and instead step on to the bridge that leads to success.
The Fear of Failure
Fear of failure is what holds people back. Yes, risk is scary, but when you get to the very bottom of that fear of risk is actually a fear of failure. If you let the fear of failure control your decision making, it means that you are limiting your potential for success. If you never take a risk, if you never push beyond that fear, then you are only holding yourself back. And guess what? Holding yourself back will only make your chances to succeed eradicated.
When it comes to career decisions your choices are a lot like your choices over an investment portfolio. So talking about these two seemingly separate things at the same times makes a lot of sense. For example, in the job market, just like in the investment market, you have high risk jobs and low risk jobs. A high risk job is going to have higher returns and benefits than a low risk job, but hey, it will also be risky.
When dealing with your fears around work successes and investment successes, you need to see the greatest potential that you are capable of. There is a great quote from Brian Littrel that goes like this: “shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will land among the stars”. That quote says it all, it is the complete truth. You have to aim high and shoot for your highest potential. Shoot for the moon.
Getting Past Your Fears
Fear can stop you in your tracks and keep you from finding your greatest potential. Here are a few tips to help you to move past those fears and shoot for the moon:
• Research – Many times you can have fear over a particular situation because you don’t have enough information. By taking some time to research all of your options you can change your fears because you will now have information. And information can help you to shift out of fear and into action.
• Find the Worst Case Scenario – Before taking on any challenge that has you nervous, look at what the worst case scenario could be. Sometimes just having a clear idea of what the worst outcome could possibly be you can get perspective that the worst thing really isn’t that bad after all. On the other hand, the worst case scenario might take your fear to a place where you know you can’t move forward and that’s okay too, because the knowledge has helped you to make a clear decision.
• Create a Plan B – You can often move forward past the fear and take the risk by having a contingency plan if something does go wrong. If you have a safety net or backup plan it can make it easier to move forward with the things that you find risky.
• Look at What You Could Miss – If you don’t take the risk, what will you be missing out on? If by looking at what you will miss it can help you to jump on the opportunity, move you past any fear, and take on the challenge.
Remember, if you do fail it’s not the end of the world. People fail all of the time. It is part of the learning process of being human. If you never failed you would never learn. And in order to have what it takes, when it comes to investing or finding your perfect career, you have to be willing to make a few mistakes.
If you want to be successful, eventually you are going to have to face your fears. This can be difficult and scary, but in order to get what you want from life, it is what you have to do.
If you have read our about us page, then you know how my brother and I have failed at other business ventures before starting this blog. And boy, let me tell you something…If we never faced our fear of failing in a start up, then I know for a fact you would not be reading this website today.