Without a doubt, the thing that holds most of us back is fear. That’s right; fear. If we are honest we have all felt that twinge of fear. For some of us, we are afraid of failure. For others, there is the fear of financial ruin. For others it may be situational like approaching a prospect or giving a presentation in front of a group. Sometimes those fears are justified; other times we simply create things to be afraid of. In either case successful business owners learn to take action in the presence of our fear. As solo-preneurs we can’t allow our fears to keep us paralyzed. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do something productive with this most natural of life experiences?

The great news is that we all have the power to convert fear into F.E.A.R.

Focus
Energy
Action
Results

So first let’s address some of the ways we can put our fears aside and gain some Focus. First you need to acknowledge the fear you have and take ownership of that fear. Try writing down what you want to accomplish and then follow that accomplishment with what your fear really is. An example might look like:

“I want ___________ but I scare myself by thinking _______________.”

This will help you place focus on the result you want and at the same time isolate the the fear that is holding you back.

The next thing I want you to ask yourself is: “What is the worst thing that can realistically happen?”

Then immediately follow that up with the following question: “What is the best thing that can happen?”

These two questions will help you to better understand the true risk. Often the risk is less scary than we imagined. More importantly the above exercise will help you place a FOCUS on your goals and PROPEL yourself into the future.

Next I want to talk about the magic that occurs when we are in the company of other successful people. Perhaps it is inspiration or maybe it is the ability to bounce ideas off of our peers but there is no denying that we receive a special kind of ENERGY from mixing up our routine and being in the company of others. Isolation zaps our energy and places us in a rut. In turn this energy is vitally critical to ensure we are in a position to take the actions necessary to accomplish our goals.

We have faced our fears, we have found the magic that gives energy – now I want you to take ACTION. All the planning in the world will not bring you the results you need if you fail to execute on those plans. Taking action means making decisions.

In order to take action, we need to be decisive and sincere about our Focus. There are a few reasons why we tend to not take action. Sometimes we feel as though we don’t have enough information. Other times, and this is more often the case; we suffer from information overload. We actually choke on too much information.

Regardless of the real issue, the reality is that we feel as though we don’t have true understanding. The information imbalance creates hesitancy. And hesitancy is the enemy of action. So we need overcome this issue by going back to our goal. What is it that we are focused on? Where do we direct our energy? What actions do we need to take?

Try to incorporate at least three actions each week to stay focused and ultimately move closer to your goals.

Lastly we measure our RESULTS. Did we accomplish what we wanted? If you did hit your target (and I know you will), then you will move on to the next thing. Remember, success breeds success! If the results came up short don’t despair. Treat it as an experiment and tweak the actions accordingly. Stick with it and eventually you achieve the results you desire.

To this end, I recommend taking at least three action steps each and every week that move you closer to your goals.

Whatever your wishes, there is no reason to let fear rob you of what you deserve. By turning fear into Focus, Energy, Action and Results you will find that all of your hopes for the New Year and beyond are well within your reach.

Kris Cavanaugh, owner of Shift^TM, is a Speaker, Author, and Coach who specializes in helping others cultivate a C.E.O. mindset in every area of their life so their businesses, careers, and personal lives thrive. She is an expert strategist with an amazing ability to pull her clients through difficult challenges to obtain the life they truly want personally and professionally. If you have a desire to live your life “on purpose” so you wake up every day excited about the possibilities and maintain an unwavering belief that you will overcome any obstacles to achieve your personal and professional goals more easily and consistently, then click on the following link (https://begintoshift.com.aepiph.dev) to receive her C.E.O. Shift Ezine.  You can also schedule a complimentary meeting to learn more about how a coaching program can help you stay on track to achieve your 2010 goals.