All of us, at some point, have worried about business decisions and inadvertently put obstacles in our own way through fear of an unknown outcome.

Personal Growth and Mindset Expert, Tony Fields shares his tips on how to overcome such situations and use that fear as a tool rather than a barrier. It really is very possible to do!

Facing your decision

Let’s assume you have one particular decision to make regarding your business, be that expansion, taking on a new employee, moving premises etc. The positive outcome of such a decision will make you feel excited and inside you’ll know it’s the right thing to do. But (and it’s a big one) such a decision may also make you nervous and afraid to take the leap.

Acknowledging the fear

Fear is an odd emotion in that as well as scaring us, it is also a signal that we are about to do something outside of our comfort zone. It’s time to start accepting that this may be a good thing!

Of course, fear can be helpful when we’re in truly risky situations. However, out of context it can lead to negative influences on our thoughts and prevent us from reaching our potential by making us overly cautious. The main thing, when faced with fear (either in business or in our personal lives) is that we identify exactly what it is we’re afraid of. By doing this, rather than just having the chemical reaction – that is – the feeling of fear, you may come to identify that there is in fact, nothing to be scared of but rather something to be excited about.

It helps to think about it in four stages:

1. F (Forced) – in the first stage, you may feel a little stuck in a rut with your business and know deep down you need to change something, but it’s easier to convince yourself it’s safer to stay as you are.
2. E (Excitement) – you start to feel excited about what a change in your business could mean, and how you could expand and grow. You just haven’t decided how to go about it yet.
3. A (Anxiety) – your excitement has led you to take action. Whatever steps you’ve taken (eg. expanding services, recruiting etc) takes you out of your comfort zone and this is when fear strikes. If you listen to that fear you’ll stop taking action and go straight back to step one. While this may temporarily make you feel ‘safe’, your gut feel that you should be doing something new won’t go away.
4. R (Release) – you’ve managed to recognise that the feelings of fear weren’t justified and you’ve pushed ahead. Being scared and excited can feel very similar but being excited is a positive feeling. You will feel proud that you found a way through the fear, gained confidence and will be able to tackle similar situations easier next time. You will see even more opportunities and your potential is limitless. You can set goals, rationalise the risks, and achieve them.

Fear can be a really helpful sign that you’re moving out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself. Once you recognise this, use it as a tool for positive change, work out what your challenges are, and take it as a sign that you’re doing the right thing for your business. That’s not to underestimate how overwhelming fear can be when it’s happening to you, but remember these steps and you’ll be able to manage it rather than letting it manage you.

If you’d like more information about how a Personal Growth and Mindset Expert may be able to help you, whether it be in decision making, boosting your confidence or helping set boundaries in your work/life balance, let’s have a chat. Once you begin to develop strategies to help you not only overcome fear, but also have more confidence in your decisions, you’ll be amazed at how much easier you find it to run your business. If you think this could be helpful to you, contact me, Tony Fields, at Katalyst Coach and let’s see how some simple mindset changes could help your SME business flourish and grow.