Fear is something we all struggle with, even if outwardly it looks to the rest of the world as if we are boldly taking on new challenges, there is a little voice inside all of us that resists change, that is scared when we start to step out of our comfort zones.
I work with ethical and environmental entrepreneurs, and I don't think there is a magic bullet that will suddenly allow us to stride ahead fearlessly, leaving our fears cowering behind us as we forge on and take action to pursue our passion and our purpose.
And actually, if I'm playing devil's advocate, I don't think I want there to be one.
Taking action despite our fears, doing the things that scare us, is how we grow, as uncomfortable as they might seem. And the greater the discomfort, the more we are growing.
So if you have a passion inside you for a business or community project that will make the work a better place, here are five tools to try out that can be helpful when you are doubting yourself, procrastinating, feeling the fear:
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1. Start with Why
I'm a massive fan of Why.
Getting really clear about why is a brilliant way to motivate ourselves, especially when things start to feel a bit too hard, a bit too scary.
Once we are clear on our why - the benefits to ourselves, to those around us, to society, to the wider world, we can use this to keep ourselves motivated.
It can be all too easy to get caught up in the every day minutiae of running a business, especially when it feels like it's a business or a project that the world really needs. We forget to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, why we are doing what we are doing.
We want to do 'good business' - business that is good for people and planet, as well as generating an income. If we don't force ourselves to take these scary steps, to do the things that scare us, then we are depriving the world of our skills and our talents, and we aren't putting as much good stuff out there are as we could. Reminding ourselves of that can be an extremely powerful motivator!
2. Act 'as if'
Act as if you are confident, as if you are one of those people who you think are fearless, who you see taking massive action before they've even had their breakfast.
These people are scared too, I promise you. But they have just got used to feeling uncomfortable, and to taking action regardless.
So pick someone, someone you admire and look up to. Someone doing great things. They don't even have to be a real person, it could be a character from your favourite box-set or movie, or a super-hero.
Put on their clothes (metaphorically) just for a while, adopt their persona. It will feel uncomfortable, that's ok. But pretend.
Pretend to be confident, and brave and fearless. Pretend you are a brilliant and accomplished public speaker, put on that workshop, write that blog post.
Pretend you can do it and your brain will believe you and start doing some of the hard work for you.
3. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
This is a classic coaching question, and possibly something of a cliche, but like most good cliches, it holds true.
Ask yourself what would do if you knew you were guaranteed to succeed. If you knew that you would get a standing ovation for your perfect presentation, or your workshops would sell out, or your book would get published, what would you do differently then?
The answer probably, is that you would start. You would take that first step and you would do it with joy and excitement in your heart, rather than fear, knowing that what you were doing was going to fly!
Image bloggers own
4. What are the consequences of doing nothing?
If you do nothing, if you stay stuck where you are, wanting to make things happen, but feeling too scared to take action, what happens?
This is a great question to ask ourselves, and to help us to recognise that there are not only consequences to taking action, there are consequences to not taking action too. If we do nothing, nothing changes.
All those things we want to achieve, the wrongs we want to right, won't happen if we do nothing.
Yes, there are is the odd person who gets 'discovered' while they are quietly beavering away in their comfort zone, not doing the things that scare them, but they are not the norm.
So you have to choose which will ultimately cause you the most discomfort - doing nothing staying safe, where you are? Or moving out of your comfort zone and doing something new, something scary? When the consequences of staying where we are become scarier than the consequences of taking action, that is when we move our of our comfort zones, when we grow, when we make stuff happen.
5. Progress not Perfection
Don't aim for perfection right off the bat. Yes, you want to put your best stuff out there, but don't let your perceived imperfections stop you starting. Know that you will grow, you will improve, you will get there, but that you need to start.
Aim for one step better than you have done before. Don't compare yourself to others, don't aim for their goals. Aim for progress. Take that first step. Make a start.
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Finally, remember we are all scared. I genuinely believe that. The fear won't go away, but we can learn to walk alongside it and take action anyway.
Next time you are feeling scared of doing something new, try out one of these tools. They won't all work for everyone, so be prepared for some experimentation! They might not work first time, and they might take some practice, but the good news is that more you flex your 'fear-facing' muscles, the easier it becomes.
Find more tools like these that will help you to move forwards with your passion and your purpose, and make your dreams a reality at jengale.co.uk, and find a whole community of changemakers #makinggood stuff happen in my Facebook group.