Fear Isn't the Enemy — It's the Secret Weapon You're Overlooking. Here's How to Use It.

Entrepreneurship is thrilling. It's besides terrifying.

Fear is an unavoidable companion for entrepreneurs, and it shows up successful different forms: missed opportunities, embarrassment and failure. It's thing I've travel look to look pinch and had to activity done pinch my co-founder successful our 19 years together increasing Wistia.

As humans, we're conditioned to fear things that make america consciousness uncomfortable. This fearfulness tin beryllium your ain worst force and clasp you backmost successful the startup world. It tin make you freeze, extremity you from moving forward, aliases moreover forestall you from trying thing successful the first place.

But here's the secret: facing and dealing pinch those fears head-on is important to making advancement successful business. If you're not pushing yourself and failing on the way, you and the institution won't grow.

Some of my astir valuable lessons came from the times I failed. So, if you're reference this and person been letting fearfulness get successful your way, this is your motion to thin into it.

Related: 'Boring' Businesses Are Making Millionaires — and You Can Borrow Their Strategies For Success

Embracing your fearfulness arsenic an entrepreneur

The astir successful founders aren't conscionable bully astatine managing fear. They cognize really to usage it arsenic power to thrust themselves and their businesses forward. This takes activity and time.

I'm still figuring retired how to move fearfulness into thing positive myself, but present are a fewer lessons I've learned done embracing my fears:

Don't dwell connected your fear.

The longer you fto fearfulness fester successful your mind, the much powerfulness it has complete you.

When faced pinch fear, I for illustration to tackle it head-on and arsenic soon arsenic possible. First, I attraction connected what I tin power successful the situation. If there's thing I tin do, I move connected and displacement my power to what I tin influence.

By shortening the clip fearfulness has to messiness pinch my head, I debar overthinking and second-guessing myself. Action is the antidote to overthinking. The sooner you face your fear, the little clip you springiness it to ruin your time — aliases your week.

Approach fearfulness arsenic an parameter alternatively of an inhibitor.

I've learned to dainty fearfulness arsenic a signal, not a blocker.

When fearfulness pops up successful my work, I return it arsenic a motion that I request to salary attraction and excavation deeper into immoderate is triggering my reaction.

Often, fearfulness is telling maine that thing important is unfolding. It mightiness awesome that I'm astir to return a large consequence aliases measurement into uncharted territory. And that's precisely wherever maturation happens.

Usually, if I proactively face that fear, I tin usage it to lick a problem aliases tackle an rumor faster. By doing so, I tin move that fearfulness into thing useful that helps maine grow.

Related: Getting Over the Fear of Being An Entrepreneur

Don't fto the "spotlight effect" messiness pinch you.

Here's the truth: galore entrepreneurs get caught up successful the "spotlight effect."

This is erstwhile we deliberation everyone is watching and judging everything we do. The reality is astir group aren't paying nearly arsenic overmuch attention to you arsenic you think.

Especially erstwhile you're successful the early stages of your business, retrieve that you person acold much state than you think. People don't expect you to beryllium perfect. They expect you to learn, adapt, and support trying.

Stop worrying astir each small correction aliases failure. We are ever our ain toughest critic. So, particularly successful the early days of your company, springiness yourself the state to research and fail.

It could beryllium the first measurement toward thing amazing.

Distinguish betwixt fearfulness and excitement.

Our bodies respond to fearfulness and excitement successful akin ways, which tin beryllium very confusing. You'll often brushwood this successful situations successful which you are emotionally invested.

While fearfulness tin paralyze, excitement and a unreserved of adrenaline tin thrust you forward. A cleanable illustration is that emotion each excessively acquainted earlier a presentation. You're prepared. You're pumped. You're excited to begin. Then, your palms commencement sweating, and your bosom starts racing.

This erstwhile happened to maine during a large talk, and I near emotion for illustration it was a disaster. My nerves took over, and I thought the assemblage had tuned out. But erstwhile the feedback came in, I was stunned to perceive praise.

What I'd perceived arsenic a fear response was really excitement. It was my body's measurement of signaling that I cared profoundly astir the taxable and wanted to do my best.

In the power of the moment, fearfulness and excitement tin consciousness the same. But erstwhile I learned really to show them apart, everything changed. When I consciousness that adrenaline rush, I inquire myself: "Is this fear, aliases americium I conscionable really excited astir the possibilities?" Recognizing that quality tin thief you attack challenges pinch a consciousness of curiosity alternatively than hesitation.

The cardinal is to abstracted these emotions. Realizing that what you're emotion is much astir excitement and passion alternatively than fearfulness tin thief clear your mind and lead to amended decisions.

The much you train yourself to place fearfulness vs. excitement, the amended you'll get astatine recognizing opportunities for growth.

Related: The 5 Fears Every Entrepreneur Must Face — and Overcome

Lean into fearfulness – It's your concealed weapon

The bottommost statement is that fearfulness will ever beryllium there.

It's a changeless companion. It will proceed to show up successful your life and astatine work. How you grip it makes each the difference.

The extremity isn't to destruct fearfulness – it's to study really to negociate it. Do you fto it power you? Or do you usage it to substance your maturation and thrust your business?

Embrace it. Use it arsenic substance to push you forward. Don't fto that fearfulness clasp you backmost – thin into it, return action, and support moving.

That's really you grow, really you win, and really you go the entrepreneur you were meant to be.