Are you considering a move into self-employment but afraid to take the leap? Fear is one of the main reasons why many people hold themselves back from finding work that they love. Find out how to deal with fear so that you can start moving forward.
When it comes to setting up your own business, there are many fears that can potentially come into play:
- Fear of not having enough money
- Fear of not being capable enough
- Fear of the unknown
- Fear of failure
- Fear of success (yes, that is a thing!)
It’s not the presence of fear which will determine your success but the way in which you choose to deal with it. Here are some ideas (learnt along the way) I’d like to share with you so that you can move forward and find work that you love:
1. Welcome fear as part of your journey
Fear is a natural part of this journey you are on as an entrepreneur. However, as Eat Love Pray author Liz Gilbert so beautifully puts it in her book Creative Magic, rather than letting fear be in the driving seat (and potentially steering you away from your plans and dreams) let it sit in the passenger seat as a friend along the way, trying to keep you safe.
In this way, fear can be useful to prompt you to investigate something. For example, your fears around not having enough money to live off if you set up your own business might lead you into creating a survival budget which in turn may either make you realise that you will have enough to live on if you cut down on a few monthly expenses, or else it could mean that now is not the right time for you to be pursuing this venture.
2. Follow your fears through to their conclusion
Sometimes we can exaggerate fears in our mind without ever stopping to think how likely they actually are to happen. If you follow many fears through to their logical conclusion, often they can dissipate. List out all of your fears and with each one ask yourself ‘and then what’ and repeat until you can’t go any further. How does it feel when you get to the end? Is it worth the risk?
3. Allow yourself to fail
4. Remind yourself why you’re doing this
Client Spotlight
Sue, Artist & Illustrator
The Challenge
Talented Nottinghamshire-based Artist and Illustrator Sue had been looking to grow her business and take up a new creative direction through becoming an Art Therapist. This is something Sue felt very drawn to and had a clear sense of how rewarding a career it could be. She also had some very tangible fears which could have stopped her from pursuing this exciting new direction. Namely, fears around not getting accepted on to the course and not having enough money to finance it and continue her current standard of living.
The Solution
Sue confronted and challenged these fears by considering the true likelihood of each of them happening. Also, Sue worked on a survival budget which meant that she could then see that she was more than capable of getting on to the course and that she could finance it through her other work and still live comfortably.
The Benefits
Dealing with my fears helped propel me onto an exciting new path with renewed enthusiasm for using my creativity.
Sue Bulmer, Nottingham
About the Author
Rebecca Kirk is a Life, Career & Creative Coach dedicated to enabling people to find happiness through their work and make a living doing what they love. Find out more about Rebecca and the one-to-one coaching options available or book in a Coaching Taster Session.
