“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” – Eleanor Roosevelt.
Fear can be crippling.
I know. I have felt it. It is almost understandable to feel paralysed with fear when doing scary, somewhat life threatening things like crossing the knife edge of Crib Goch, (3,028 ft) above sea level, in Snowdonia, Wales – yes, that was me (many years ago).
But for how many of us does fear have a crippling effect on a daily basis? Fear can be debilitating. It can stop you achieving your dreams; stop you from challenging the status quo; from using your voice – or even from trying something new.
I doubt there are few businesspeople who have gone through their career without experiencing fear – loss of face, loss of market share, loss of revenue – or worse still – loss of forward momentum. Many question ‘Can I?’, ‘Who would want to listen to me?’, ‘Do I have the experience to do this?’.
Crazy thoughts. Irrational fears. Maybe some (albeit small) rational fears. When you are out of your comfort zone – whoosh there it is again!
The truth is that fear, for many of us, is present everyday. The difference is the form in which we choose for it to present itself – or whether we acknowledge it as a strength or a weakness.
Do you choose paralysing inaction or do you choose to turn the feeling into a powerful tool of success?
The choice ultimately is yours.
For me, it is always about facing it head on, exploring all the options whilst breathing deeply, trusting myself, turning negative thoughts into positive and then quite simply just doing it.
As Buddha said “A jug fills drop by drop.” So be patient with yourself.
At the end of the day what will it cost you if you don’t at least try?
Find out how Jodie Fox (Founder, Shoes of Prey), Bronwyn Powell (International Marketing Director, SPC Ardmona), Alicia Beachley (CEO April5), Sara Lucas (Founder, EnrichMe) and I have faced our own fears as we share our individual stories on building successful brands, businesses and managing the work:life balance at our inaugural Talking Heads event on 21st March. Tickets on sale now.
Members Tickets $79 (+gst). To book tickets click here
Non-Member Tickets $99 (+gst) – To book tickets click here
