by Janna Hoiberg
Forget Everything and Run
Face Everything and Rise
Either of the above can be our reaction to FEAR. Often it saves our lives or keeps us from harm. When we are young (hopefully) we learned not to put our hand on a hot stove. That fear keeps us from getting hurt.
Yet, sometimes our fears keep us from moving forward. Fear of failure, fear of being embarrassed, fear of public speaking, fear of upsetting an employee, fear of holding them accountable, fear of scarcity… the list is long. Then there is the age old fear of spiders, unless you lived in my house growing up. My mom didn’t like spiders and would vacuum them up. My dad and I would rescue them before she saw them and hide them in a plant (unless it was a black widow – those we killed).
How do you use your fears? Do you use them as a motivator to overcome and move forward? Do you use them as an excuse to stay in your comfort zone? Do your fears hold others back? You are afraid of heights so you won’t allow other family members to stand close to the edge? You are afraid of failure, so you won’t allow your employees to take a risk? Yes, you see the potential for high rewards, yet, there is a high potential for failure as well.
Where we end up long term depends on how we challenge ourselves to face our every day fears. When I started to write, The Family Business Book, my fear was having the first person (outside my own family) read it. Would they like it? Did it make sense? Was it worth purchasing? If I had allowed my fears to control my actions, it wouldn’t be published. The book wouldn’t be helping family business owners look at their business in new ways and have new and different conversations with family members.
Now the idea for the second book has been born and is in the works. Are the fears there? Yes they are. Will I move through them? Absolutely. Will I breathe a sigh of relief after the first presentation on the topic (which is before the book is published) is done and I get feedback – absolutely.
Yet, even if I failed, I have learned a great deal on the journey. So what are your fears and how will you face them – starting today?
Janna Hoiberg is a business and marketing coach; we have teamed up with her to provide you with our Marketing Advantage Program.