How to Conquer the 3 Faces of FEAR
Posted by John Livesay in blog0 comments
Everyone who has ever thought of trying something new from launching a new business to learning a new skill faces the 3 Faces of Fear.
Clearly fear can be a huge problem to overcome. The most important step in problem solving: clearly defining the problem in the first place!
Once we identify the 3 faces of fear, we have made the first step to conquering it.
I. FEAR OF REJECTION.
Whether you are asking someone out on a date or asking an investor to fund your startup, people worry about being rejected. When I started my podcast, The Successful Pitch, I was worried that people might reject my invitation to be on the show.
The only way to conquer this fear is first don’t take rejection personally. If someone says no to your offer, it just means it is not a fit now not forever. The way to not take rejection personally is to not reject yourself. If someone says they don’t like your idea for a new business, that does not mean you have to agree with their rejection.Howard Schultz was rejected many times launching Starbucks.
II. FEAR OF FAILURE
These are the internal thoughts you have when you launch a new business. When I was thinking about launching my podcast The Successful Pitch, I worried about the many forms of failure.
What if nobody downloads any of the episodes?
What if I can’t find someone to help me edit the podcast?
What if I spend all this time and money on a podcast and it flops?
The best way to deal with fear of failure is play out the worst case scenario in your head and say “So what?” Will I die of humiliation or will I regret not taking a chance?
Jay Samit in his book Disrupt You, says:
“Have a ZOMBIE idea so great it won’t die.”
In other words, fail fast and fail often as you come up with ideas and projects until you find one that works.
III. FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN
If we only do the same things over and over that we know, we literally crush our soul’s spirit to create and grow. The idea of a comfort zone (doing things we know we can do) is an illusion.
If we are not constantly increasing the size of our comfort zone, it shrinks. There is no such thing as staying in the same spot as change happens all around us. We are at choice. Resist or embrace the unknown.
When I started my podcast, the list of things I didn’t know was a mile long:
I didn’t know how to properly interview people.
I didn’t know how to record a podcast
I didn’t know how to promote a podcast.
The good news is I found Harry Duran who is an expert and trained me and was able to get my podcast listed on iTunes New&Noteworthy. The podcast has allowed me to meet all kinds of wonderful and inspiring people who are changing the world with their innovations and courage as well as increasing my network.
As Judy Robinett says, “Your network is your net worth.”
If you need help facing the 3 Faces of Fear to get funded…