Practical Techniques to Help You Face Your Fears and Doubts

As a business owner, you’re not exempt from fear. In fact, the higher you aim in life, the more fearful you’re going to feel. And a lack of confidence in your endeavor also creeps in. It takes the form of doubt.

“Is this venture going to be successful?” “Is this product really good?” “Is this business really worth running? Isn’t it too small/too big/too disorganized/too outdated/too much in the family/too impersonal?” Nearly anything can become a doubt or a fear.

Sometimes, you end up taking out your fears on your employees. You might get short-tempered, demanding to a fault or just generally dissatisfied and irritable. How do you face these fears?

Step Away from Work

One way to face any fear is to step away from what you’re doing. The higher you’re aiming in your life and your work, the more you’re going to need time away from it so that you can come back to it with a fresh mind.

Some people do this at the end of the day, by watching a good movie or reading a book. Others take regular breaks during their work day as well. According to Daniel Goleman, author of When, the best type of break is when you take a friend along for a walk in a place that’s full of trees/plants.

Immersing yourself in nature can be very rejuvenating which is why people like to take vacations in places that have natural beauty. But if you can do this on a daily basis, you’ll be able to come back to work with a fresh mind, free of the doubts that were bothering you before.

Break Through Your Block

Sometimes, you can’t just step away from what you’re doing. You have to face your fear right there, in that moment. It helps if you have been taking regular breaks before this moment comes and “filling the well” as self-help guru Julia Cameron puts it.

But in that moment, you can’t step away. You have to soldier on and break through your blocks. If you’re at this point, try a few writing exercises. Julia Cameron has a great one in her book The Artist’s Way. She suggests that you should make a list of fears angers and resistances.

Just take a page, number the lines and go down it, writing down all your fears, angers and resistances. You’ll find the process cathartic and you’ll feel happy and energized to go on with your task.