3 fears every entrepreneur must overcome

The only way to overcome fear is to acknowledge that fear has come over you. And that’s tough. While every individual at some point or another grapples with consequences of denial, there are various other forms that fear can come disguised in. For example, laziness and carelessness are but symptoms of fear unrecognised as fear. You may become lazy to go to work because you are afraid of your previous day’s performance. Similarly, you may behave carelessly because your mind is occupied with some fear you are refusing to identify. While fear is real, what you are fearful of depends on how mentally strong you are. As an entrepreneur, you’ll come face to face with your worst fears. The first step to prepare yourself against an assault is to know what to expect. Here are three types of fear that you will encounter in your entrepreneurial journey.

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Fear of failure

Failure is not a norm. It’s the result, an effect of incorrect decision making. And a decision is the direct descendent of poor comprehension or estimation of a situation, which in turn depends upon the level of knowledge you possess regarding the situation. The point is if you are able to take knowledge-based decisions, you’ll keep your chances of failure in check and your fear of it too.

Fear of being uncomfortable

Human beings don’t like to be uncomfortable. Thus, they avoid situations and people who might cause them to feel that way. But avoidance is not the right answer; certainly not all the time. When we face what makes us uncomfortable, we develop within us a strand of courage which if regularly reinforced can grow into a thick cable with time. And courage is a virtue one can’t do without.

Fear of being who you are

An article on Business Insider makes a valuable addition to the list when it says, “Too often, people are afraid of becoming themselves. They are afraid of their true ‘self-expression’, which is what real success is all about.”

When you are not yourself, you are someone else. And when you are someone else, you cease to be real and authentic. As an entrepreneur you’ll be meeting a lot of people, from vendors to stakeholders to investors and of course, your clients. If you end up being someone else with everyone, then sooner or later either your act will be seen through or you will exhaust yourself eventually and start being in two minds.

Beyond fear there’s clarity and clarity of thoughts and emotion is the stepping stone to, success that matters. Facing your fears is a great morale booster as it brings to life traits that you never knew existed within you.