The zombie fear fabricators must be buried. Now. And re-buried every time they pop back up. Unless you want them bury your business.
They’re those “What if…?” voices.
What if your clients disappear? What if your business fails? What if you accidentally crash your website? What if you step up and share something and others disagree–loudly? What if you give out advice and it turns out later you were wrong? What if you finally get on TV or a stage and freeze? What if you hold a teleseminar and the bridge line doesn’t work? What if it turns out your business idea wasn’t so great after all? What if you just can’t juggle it all and you drop a ball or two?
Do you feel that panic attack coming on like I do just reading such a terrible list?
Good grief, fear can be paralyzing!! If you’ve got “fear fabricator” zombies after you, it might feel like stepping forward is impossible (and crazy, why bother?).
They’re all making it up. Yeah, bad things can happen. But bad things can happen anytime. All life is a risk. All we can do is make sure we’re working smart, ethically and legally, and just go for it.
So how can you defeat the fear fabricator zombies?
Step 1: Identify the Fear
What’s the worst that could happen? Could you survive it? Maybe it’s not as bad as you fear.
Step 2: Validate and Mitigate
For the scariest possibilities, that are “real” fears, do some research and figure out how to mitigate your risks. What steps can you take to protect yourself?
Step 3: Snap Out of it Already!
And for the rest of it, find someone to snap you out of it! Business strategy isn’t the only area you can get coached in. There’s a rainbow of mentors, coaches and support professionals. Find the one you need.
Yes, there’s something to be said for listening to your own wisdom and inner guidance. But sometimes we can’t hear it (if you can’t hear that voice, click the link and connect with someone who will help you tune into it), or can’t get past our biggest fears and inner mindset blocks. Call in back up and get over it.
Mindset is such a huge part of a successful business. And it’s something I’m not good at. I’ve been working through lots of childhood garbage with an amazing coach (Therese Skelly) over the last few months and I’m astounded at what comes out and how much progress she can push me to in an hour.
Some of My Strategies
Some of my biggest fears/challenges are centered around being “seen” (I know, ironic for someone who likes bright pink hair). I don’t like being noticed. I’m not good at being “on” and I’d rather write a hundred blog posts than get in front of people through teleseminars or any “live” presentations. Yeah, you might have noticed that.
So I had to take time figuring out why and how to get around it. Some of it’s personality. I’m shy by nature and I consistently work to get past it because it’s important for my business. I can’t help you if I’m afraid to talk to you, right?
To kick myself through it, I do the following:
- I keep nice things people say about my teleseminars and read over them when I’m prepping for one.
- I set dates and make sure I share them with my list and my coach. Can’t back out of it then.
- I listen to music like “All Star,” “Just Dance,” “Tubthumping,” “Unstoppable,” “Poker Face,” “Let’s Get Loud,” and other upbeat, empowering music. Don’t laugh. It works for me.
- List out what can go wrong and be ready with back up plans.
- Try to remember that nothing that could go wrong would be the end of the world. Just keep going or stop and reschedule depending on the nature of the problem. Roll with it because getting bent out of shape or anxious won’t fix it.
There are other challenges I’ve run into though that don’t lend themselves to defeat with a nice, tidy bulleted list. I have worked through some crazy fears, but not without calling in the big firepower.
Challenge: Give yourself some time to figure out exactly what fears you may be struggling with. When you get stuck and aren’t moving forward, ask yourself why. And keep asking why until you get to the root of what’s stopping you. Then deal with it. Alone or with backup, as needed.
Question: What have you found to be helpful in getting past fears (rational or irrational)?
Photo Credit: njnightsky at StockFresh
Grate advice Michelle. Just wanted to show my support on your struggle with Zombies, you really do not have the reason to bee shy, cause you really have something to say and teach us all. :)
If we can understand that there are no rational only irrational fears, than we are on a good path to bury The Monster.
My biggest fear is that I will be the Zombie to others around me. That people will fear me. Weird? I know…And I manage to deal with It simply by putting a smile no5 on. Recently I saw a TED talk by Ron Gutman : The hidden power of smiling, in which at some point, among other interesting facts, he says : Even cannibals smile! :) So, people, keep on smiling, that is my recipe.
Thanks, Itana. I’ll go look up that TED talk. Their videos are wonderful.
Great recommendations, Michelle.
Two quotes:
It takes courage to overtake fear; fear is an emotion appropriate to perceived risk. If the risk is small, there is certainly nothing to fear. If the risk is large, so would be the reward. Demonstrate courage, perceive the risk AND proceed in spite of same.
Fear is a darkroom wherein negatives develop!
Awesome quotes. Thanks for sharing them, Roy.
One of my favorite mentors, Joyce Meyer, says it best, “Do it afraid!” That’s the thing, fear will never go away, if we want to grow. This week I gave my first teleseminar http://www.unstoppablesuccessstrategies.com and by the time I got off the phone, I needed a shower! Even though I’ve given presentations to large groups, there was something about not seeing faces. I was so nervous! However, I think it went well and I received positive feedback. Even though doing things for the first time can create fear, it feels amazing to push through the fear. And when we do, our confidence muscle builds. It’s all good. Thanks for all the excellent tips, Michelle. I love reading your posts. Have a wonderful long weekend.
Joyce Meyer is a smart lady, isn’t she? So true – it doesn’t go away, we just get better at overcoming it. :)
YAY for getting through that teleseminar! :)
You are so wise Michelle – somewhere in there that inner Wise Voice is speaking louder than you think. These are exactly the recommendations I give to my clients when they are smack up against fear. And, I can so relate to the fear of being seen. I recently had to work through my own fear of feeling like I was bugging my subscribers when I contacted them. Boy that was a doozy! You certainly have a great coach to help you move through the gremlins! And, you have a plethora of wisdom that others really want to hear. I’m in the cheering section!
Thanks Catherine, and you’re not at all alone in the subscriber thing… thank you for all you share, I’ve found much courage through your blog and ebook. :)
That’s actually the definition of courage: being afraid of doing something and yet doing it anyway. So in that sense, anyone who faces their fears is brave!
Very true!