6 Steps To Help You Move Through Your Fear
Being an entrepreneur myself and working with so many other female entrepreneurs has given me a lot of insight into the things that tend to hold women back and keep them playing small.
One of the things that comes up again and again is fear.
Whether it’s fear of failure, fear of success, fear of rejection, fear of what people will say or think, fear of becoming more visible, fear of putting oneself out there…I could go on but you get the idea…there is a lot of fear that comes with this journey of being a female entrepreneur.
I was stuck in that place of fear for a long time. It kept me playing small, it kept me from showing up and it kept me from realising my life’s purpose.
That is, until I reached my lowest point of feeling lost and stuck and decided that enough was enough…I wanted to live my life with purpose and I wanted to create and live the life of my dreams and the only way I was going to do that was to do the inner work, change my mindset and work through what was holding me back. I needed to work through my fears and I did!
And trust me, if I could do it, you can too.
The most important thing I realised was that my fears wouldn’t necessarily go away.
I had spent a lot of time trying to ‘get rid’ of them but my big realisation was that I’ll never get rid of them…so I needed to find a way to move through them and to do the things in spite of the fear…feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s the only way.
If you’re reading this and you’re a female entrepreneur, then I can almost guarantee you that at some stage of your journey you will encounter fears that may hold you back from moving forward. When that happens, here are 6 steps that you can take to help you move through the fear, no matter what it is so that you can move forward with your business and create that madly successful life that is yours if you choose it!
Step #1. Acknowledge The Fear
The first step in moving through fear is acknowledging it. In fact, the first step in moving through or overcoming anything is bringing your awareness to it and acknowledging it which is what we do with fear.
Get yourself a journal and ask yourself the question:
What is it that you are afraid of?
Keep writing for 5 mins, writing whatever comes to you. When you have written it all down, acknowledge your fears, It’s ok to be scared. It doesn’t make you weak, it doesn’t make you incompetent, it simply makes you human.
Step #2. Feel The Fear
Taking it a step further, you want to feel into the fear.
Where does it sit in your body? What kind of physical sensations does it bring up for you?
The more we feel into our emotions, the more we are able to move through them.
Step #3. Practice Self-Compassion
It’s all too easy for us to be hard on ourselves and put ourselves down for not doing something because we’re scared but the best thing you can do for yourself is practice self-compassion. This post on 3 Ways To Practice Self-Compassion can help you with this. Remind yourself and tell yourself it’s ok to be scared. It’s ok to feel the fear. We all do. Feel the fear and then do it anyway.
Step #4. Get Curious
Very often our fears are based on the ‘What if?” question. What if I make a fool of myself? What if nobody buys from me? What if it doesn’t work?
Most of the time, however, we stop at this question and don’t dig any further but when we get curious about the outcome, it allows for the outcome to not seem so scary anymore.
Keep on asking yourself, what if? What if someone doesn’t buy from me? What would happen? Would that be the end? Or would I find another way? Would I make it work? Keep on asking and keep on going until you realise that it’s all ok and that you’ll figure it out. The most important thing is just to do it.
Step #5. Make A Choice
At the end of the day whether you choose to stay stuck in fear or whether you choose to feel the fear and move forward in spite of it, is your choice. If you have a dream, if you’re truly dedicated to creating the most incredible life for yourself through your business, then the choice is a simple one to make. But only you can make it.
Do you choose to be more loyal to your dreams or to your fears?
Step #6. Create An Affirmation
In My Women Tribe Inner Circle Meeting Membership, we use affirmations a lot as it is such a powerful reminder of the choices we have made. When we are in a situation that brings up fear and is holding us back, the affirmations help to remind you of why you’re doing what you’re doing, that you can do what you’re doing and that the power is within you to create anything and everything you desire. Download the affirmations below to help you move through fear when it comes up for you.
As a female entrepreneur, fear is something that comes up a lot for me but I have learnt how to work with it and move through it. Sometimes it’s easier than others.
Just as you think you’ve got this ‘entrepreneurial thing’ all figured out, you realise quite quickly that you don’t and that it is a continuous process and journey. It is an ongoing journey of learning and growth and that’s what I love about it.
What’s important to remember as you ride this journey is that with each level that you rise to, different emotions will come up. It doesn’t ever go away. But if you have the tools and the support to help you than you’re able to move through the challenging moments easier and they don’t keep you stuck for too long.
Just remember to feel the fear and do it anyway.
This is how you step into the full expression of who you were born to be!
You’ve got this!
