“Always do what you are afraid to do (Emerson).” “Act now. And repeat. Act again and again until you succeed.” Stop there! Don’t entertain a second, third or fourth thought on the matter. It is a simple and sound success principle, yet fundamentally the inability to master fear and act now are some of the primary barriers to success for entrepreneurs. I’d bargain to say, the greatest barriers to achievement.

“Act now. And repeat.” Many entrepreneurs allow negative self-talk, rooted in fear, “I can’t do this,” or “I don’t have enough funds to be successful in this,” to keep them from accomplishment. To add insult to injury, it often seems wise to then seek the counsel of friends and family. More often than not they will find well meaning individuals only seek to reconfirm the ‘can’t’ in lieu of the ‘can.’ Seeking unwise counsel from those [others and your individual limited experience] not equipped nor qualified to address a specific subject matter is detrimental to a growing business. It’s a sure fire method of failure.

“Act now.” I once heard someone say whatever you fear the most – that is the opportunity that fear is robbing you of. The reason the next thought is non-essential is because it is almost always undesirably rooted in fear. Fear is defined as a distressing emotion aroused by a perceived threat. Arguably, fear is based on a perceived outcome – tied to what you’ve been thinking. Being successful in entrepreneurship is predicated on a change of mind, attitude and thought process. While many entrepreneurs may think that the threat is external – it is in fact internal … it starts with you.

Taking small and decisive steps each day will aid in the mastery of fear and help you move forward in your greatest business endeavors and ideas. Here is a brief exercise that encompasses a list of 5 essential steps to overcome fear in business. Imagine what you could achieve in business if you were fearless.

• Act now. Write down the top three actions you would take in business … immediately if you had no fear.
• Act now. And repeat. Develop a concise list of simple steps it will take to accomplish your intended tasks – even if you do not yet have the resources to meet the steps required, with dates of completion respectively.
• Act now. And repeat. Start now and gather specialized knowledge that pertains to each specific task. Everything you consider must be solution-oriented or it is non-essential.
• Act now. And repeat. Review your list of steps and begin to insert your mastermind team into the equation. This means that you will seek out individuals that possess the knowledge and expertise you need to fulfill as specific task. But first, consider what are you willing to give in order to receive their specialized skills? Do not expect to get without giving.
• Act now. And repeat. Drive it relentlessly to completion. A temporary setback [opportunity] should not become a permanent defeat. Develop new steps, knowledge and associations to meet your goals.

Overcoming fear in business starts with repeated action despite challenges and perceived setbacks. Ideally, each action is strategically based on a business game plan. The next great success in business is one step away from the mastery of fear. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear (Nelson Mandela).”

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