What fences are you putting up?

As an entreprenuer, you probably desperately want to be successful in your field. You’d most likely would LOVE to be known as the go~to expert in your community, and outshine the competition while breaking the six figure mark.  Imagine it for a moment and see what comes up. . . . . .

Is there calm and confidence, or fear and fight? For many of us, there is some underlying element of fear mixed in with other emotions.  However it’s the fear that usually feels the strongest.  Whether it’s a fear of failure or fear of success, there is one common element that separates the “woman from the girls” and men from the boys in being a successful business owner. This is known as the “fear factor”. (I refer to it as Scaredy Cat marketing.) Being able to face fear is absolutely the most crucial skill an entrepreneur has in their tool box.

I’ve done a lot of strategy sessions recently, and there was one topic which had a common theme over the past month of talking with entrepreneurs about their businesses. Many business owners are terrified of addressing their fears. I discovered that they dream of and wish for great success, yet many will avoid taking action and prefer to stick to a marketing plan that doesn’t stretch their current routine.

Scaredy Cat Marketers keep themselves safe within their comfort zones. This is perpetuated by also refusing to invest in their business because they “can’t afford it”.  The irony is this creates a cycle of more fear, and lack of joy and satisfaction in their businesses.

It’s the things that we fear the most and which lie beyond our comfort zones which hold the most potential for creating unbridled growth, expansion and success. Making it your mission to not play safe and stretching yourself beyond your self-imposed safety zone is the guaranteed path to all the joy and freedom that prosperity can bring.

Everyone has some level of uncertainy and insecurity in different aspects of their business. Some of us are terrified of public speaking, while others fear one-on-one networking meetings. Other entrepreneurs feel inadeaquate in regards to other marketing and promotional activities such as writing and creating videos.

One of my favorite quote’s is by T. Harv, in which he said, “Your income can only grow to the extent that you do”. What does that mean to you? To me it’s a great reminder that I need to keep pushing myself beyond my own safety zone and boundries. How I do that is to always have accountability. I have a full time assistant and support team that I need to pay every week so my income must exceed theirs! I have a private business coach and I belong to a number of group coaching programs and mastermind groups, all of which keep me on my toes. I also travel and attend conferences to meet and connect with other high level entrepreneurs. All of these are expensive and not exactly “comfortable” endeavors.

I remember the first time I invested in a couple of very pricey coaching programs that maxed out my business credit card. I felt like I was going to be sick, my stomach was in knots and I wasn’t absolutely positive that I was making the right decision. Yet I knew I was making the right decision because I know investing in myself always pays off. It was a leap of faith, I faced my fear, I charged up my card, and then I kicked everything in high gear to pay it off.

I consistently invest in myself and my business and push myself to face fears and move forward through the eye of the storm. The reward has been the result of creating a multi-six figure business that makes me want to jump out of bed every day and do what I love to do. I always remember the advice of Tony Robbins when I read Personal Power over 20 years ago. He said to find someone who’s doing well at what you’d like to be good at doing, and then just do what they do. Easy, right? And that’s what I’ve always done, and what you can do as well.

Find a mentor who has a business that you admire, and work with them. Smart investments always pay off with huge returns. I just had the most profitable month ever and am extremely thrilled. Compare the price of success with cost of not growing and expanding. What do you fear more?