Friendly
Fearbashers
If you quake
at the thought of going out on your own and setting up shop, here are
some fearbashers that can reroute you back to the road to success.
Do
temporary work. March into a temporary help agency and get signed
up for a short-term project. When you get an assignment, don't think of
this primarily as a way to earn money. Use this project to do some homework.
No matter what business you are sent to work in, observe what goes on
in a detached and analytical manner.
I'm willing
to guess that you'll quickly discover that all sorts of mistakes and mishaps
(and even stupid decisions) will be part of every day. Now notice that
despite this lack of perfection, the business manages to stay afloat.
If you're really lucky, you'll get an assignment on a ship of fools who
are oblivious to their own goofiness. You don't have to be arrogant about
it; just notice that every business has huge margins for error and it
doesn't bring them crashing to their knees. You can certainly do better
than that, can't you? So get out there and do it.
Observe
a successful immigrant entrepreneur. A high percentage of people
who come here from other parts of the world start their own businesses.
Imagine how much harder that would be in a strange culture where you may
not speak the language. Yet, many of these newcomers have such a desire
to build something of their own, a desire that they couldn't fulfill in
their homeland, that the obstacles melt in the face of that determination.
We look like wimps next to the hardworking and committed business owners
who have been drawn to this land of opportunity. Let them inspire you.
Fail
on purpose. Young children aren't judgmental when it comes to
trying new things. As we get older, many of us avoid any situation where
we might not be brilliant. As a result, our world shrinks down to a short
list of acceptable activities. That is not the road to personal growth.
If you are terrified at the thought of failing, make a list of all the
things that you are an utter klutz at doing. Then do something on your
list as frequently as possible. At the very least, you may amuse your
friends when you throw three gutter balls in a row. At the other end of
this temporary humiliation is all the power you'll gain by surviving a
minor failure.
Develop
a big roar. Next time you're driving in your car, pretend you're
the Lion King. It worked in the Wizard of Oz and it will work for you,
too. No kidding.
Make
Nathan Lane your patron saint. A few years back, the wildly talented
Lane starred in his own television series, which was downright awful.
It was so terrible, in fact, that it only ran for a few painful episodes.
Had it been even mildly successful, Lane would have continued taping the
series instead of wowing audiences in The Producers, the biggest
hit Broadway's seen in years. If you try something that turns out badly,
think of it as your own failed series — and celebrate the end of
your contract.
Imagine
your success. I am convinced that most people fail to go after
their dreams or leave their comfort zones because they haven't taken the
time to really think about what rewards their ultimate success would bring
them. When you are focused on the rewards that will inevitably come, setbacks
and disappointments are easier to handle. Often, in truth, what looks
like a setback is just a resetting of the course and may, in the long
run, make the journey sweeter. That's why it's so important to be willing
to defer short-lived gratification in order to have something grander
in the future. But first you must envision it and sell yourself on that
new and better life you foresee. After all, courage is not the absence
of fear but, rather, the determination to act because the rewards are
worth it.
There's
more where this came from.
Order Winning Ways now!
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