I’ve got a confession to make.
And later, a resolution as well.
So here it is: I spent my whole week last week doing… nothing.
I mean, I sat at my desk, and I flicked between Facebook and Twitter and email and Facebook and Twitter and email and Facebook and Twitter and email – you know the drill. I know I’m not the only one who’s done that!
I got no productive work done.
So you’re probably thinking that I got distracted by social media and that this is a post on staying focused. Except you’d be wrong.
Sometimes procrastination is actually something else
The real reason I got no work done, was that I was paralysed by fear.
I’m releasing our first product soon at Ready Set Startup and, although I’m excited about it, to be honest, I’m shit scared. “What if no one likes it? What if it’s a big flop? I’m sure you’ve heard those voices – all that stuff that can go on in our head at times.
That was me last week. This happens every time I move outside my comfort zone.
Overcoming Fear
I wanted to tell you about it because I wanted to be accountable for it. And I also wanted to share with you some of the realities of being an entrepreneur. Because the fact is, every entrepreneur at some stage, actually at multiple times, experiences fear.
It’s part of the journey.
It’s the thing that comes up against us whenever we’re pushing forward, whenever we’re doing something that’s good, something that will contribute, something that will move us and other people forward. That fear comes to stop us. It’s very common. It happens often.
And because that fear so often comes when we are about to dive into something good that is outside our comfort zone, (and never when we are comfortable or engaged in non-productive activities), we can take it as a sign that we are on the right track.
If you haven’t experienced it yet – expect it – because you will. If you haven’t experienced it yet, maybe you’re not pushing yourself enough. I’ll just put that out there.
So that was me. I have to say that last week, I gave into fear.
Feel The Fear Or Die
I don’t want you to give in to fear. Or at least, not for long. I want you to work with me here.
Let’s make sure that when this fear comes, we recognise it for what it is – it’s actually a sign that we’re on the right track. It’s actually a sign that we’re doing the right thing.
Let’s make a commitment, when we feel that fear, to push forward anyway, because we only have two choices. One is to keep procrastinating and doing nothing and we can do that to the day we die if we really choose. But by choosing that we actually die a bit inside.
Or we can say, “I know I’m going to feel this but I’m just going to push on and I’m going to do it anyway.” Let’s make that choice.
So Here’s My Resolution
The urgency to make this choice has really been stamped on my consciousness this week, because this week, a friend that I grew up with, passed away after a long battle with cancer. It really brought it home to me that none of us know how long we’ve got. We don’t know how much time there is.
Let’s use every day to make a difference. Let’s not be stopped by anything from doing the work that we know we must do, the work God’s put within us.
It’s not easy.
IT’S NOT EASY! Building a business is one of the most personally confronting things you can do.
It’s hard – and that’s why a lot of people don’t make it as an entrepreneur. Because they are not prepared to meet, persevere and transcend the obstacles we all inevitably face.
Let’s expect the fear, let’s take it as a sign we’re on the right track and let’s push through it, do our work every day and move forward. Can you make that commitment with me? Let’s make every day count.
Resources
Pick up the free poster to go along with this post. It’s my favourite quotes for daily inspiration to win the battle, the ones that really help me move past fear and resistance.
The best thing you can read if you are in this place is this book: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. A chapter or two of this short but powerful read will put you back on track.
About the Author
Susan Jones is the founder of ReadySetStartup.com, helping aspiring entrepreneurs develop both the strategy and psychology to create winning businesses. She lectures in Entrepreneurship at Swinburne University and is passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs. You can grab a copy of her free Startup Blueprint: 5 Steps to Launching your 6 figure business.
