Trait 2: Entrepreneurs Push Through Fear
Sometimes outsiders look at successful entrepreneurs and think that these people simply have no fear.
But that’s not quite true…
Instead, successful people feel the fear, but they do it anyway.
Now the thing about fear is that it can come in many forms. You may have the fear of failure, as no one likes to see their dreams go up in smoke. You may have the fear of success, because you’re worried about how your life might change. Indeed, you could simply have the fear of change, because the familiar will always feel safer than the unknown.
Fear sneaks up in disguise, too. It’s not as if you’re working and suddenly you’re struck by a panic attack as fear’s icy fingers take hold. That rarely happens. Instead, it’s much more subtle. Take a look at these disguises and see if you recognize any of them:
Procrastination. Ever notice how an entire day can go by without you getting anything done? It’s so easy to get distracted and browse Facebook, watch videos on YouTube, or even go offline and waste time. That’s procrastination, and it’s usually just fear in disguise.
Perfectionism. No here’s a clever disguise, because society generally approves of people who do a good job. So we tell ourselves we don’t want to launch or release something until it’s perfect.
But here’s the thing: it will NEVER be perfect. A sentence can always be tweaked, we can always polish a graphic, we can change a color.
Smart entrepreneurs know that the key is to put out GOOD work, but realize it won’t be perfect. Smart entrepreneurs then tweak it as they go along.
Want to see a real-life example? Just look at any company that puts out software, such as Apple, Microsoft or even the organization WordPress. These companies constantly send out updates and patches, simply because the software isn’t perfect. And that’s okay. Those products would never be released if the creators waited until they were perfect.
If you think your work needs to be absolutely perfect, then consider that maybe it’s just your fear talking. You can talk back and tamp that fear down.
Busy-work. This is where you seem really busy every day, but you never do the important stuff. You never take that last step towards launching a business, releasing a product or advertising a service. You’re incredibly busy and you sure feel productive at the end of the day, but you’re not making headway. This could just be your fear keeping you from seeing if your dream will sink or swim.
Negative thoughts. This is pretty self-explanatory. This is that little voice in your head second-guessing everything you do. It’s telling you that your plans won’t work and that you’re not good enough to carry them out anyway even if they were good plans. That’s just your fear talking.
So what should you do when you recognize fear sneaking up on you? Acknowledge it. Feel it. Think it through. Analyze the cause of it. Then take some very specific action towards your goal.
You see, fear is a bit like a cockroach: when you shine a light on it, it tends to scurry away. When you move towards it (e.g., taking a step towards your goal), it runs away even faster.
So feel the fear and follow your dreams anyway. The more focused steps you take, the faster your fear will dissipate.
Next up…