After reviewing our featured success story, please share your comments below.
Courtesy of Paula Sykora
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Fearing Forward
We enter into business for a variety of reasons, such as the need for a flexible schedule, time with family and friends, to be our own boss, etc. It's scary, but we plunge in anyway.
Does your fear just stop at that point?
Hardly.
Waves of fear keep coming, and will continue to come. Fear of failure, fear of inadequacy, even fear of growth. The waves just keep coming.
A friend of mine, who started his own business a couple of years ago, related his experience as a graduate student. He said, "If you can't take the heat, get out or learn how to deal with the heat. The heat will not stop."
Imagine, does the heat prevent you from taking your carefully prepared secret chocolate chip cookie recipe out of the oven at just the right moment?
No, of course not.
You grab a couple of hot pads and face the heat with confidence.
What is it that You Need to Face the Heat with Confidence?
Understanding that this is a new frame of mind is important. Fearing forward is not a one time event at the start of your business.
It is a process that will become refined more and more over time.
Indeed, it is a philosophy that can enhance your life in general.
Giving up is so easy, but fearing forward forces you to expand as a human being.
Yes, these days are times uncertain.
Yes, there would be obstacles anyway.
Yes, it is frightening.
Still, we can succeed with the right frame of mind. Others have learned this, overcome great obstacles, and are now household names.
Dale Carnegie once said, "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
Pursuing an endeavor without thought and planning is foolhardy, yet thinking and planning without ever getting started will produce no results except regret and more fear.
It's has been said that ninety percent of what we worry about will never happen anyway.
Helen Keller reenforced this when she said, "Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold." Did she allow the heat to prevent her from living her life? No, she learned the value of fearing forward.
So, are you afraid?
Are you allowing your fears and the fears of those around you to stop you?
Don't let the cookies burn. Discover what your hot pad is and fear forward.
Paula Sykora is an experienced artist and graphic designer living near Boulder, Colorado, USA. To learn more, please visit http://www.RealWorldArtStudio.com or connect on the Real World Art Studio Facebook Business Page.
You may also contact Paula directly at paula@realworldartstudio.com.
Share your feedback at the Real World Art Studio Blog
Follow Paula on Twitter: @realworldartstd
