Five fears that hold you back from improving your business

Discover the five fears that could be holding you back from improving your business, and get tips on how you can overcome them to make the progress you want.

As entrepreneurs and business owners, we are often in a state of flux – adapting to an ever-evoloving marketplace, the changing needs of our clients, and our own development.

To reflect this growth, it’s very likely that we’ll often need to tweak, and even occasionally overhaul, our business. And maybe even change our branding, messaging and offering.

But while change and evolution can be exciting and empowering, it can also be scary, and we can easily doubt our decisions. Ling Wong from Business Soulwork reveals the five fears that may be holding you back from the evolution you want.

It’s normal to have fears and doubts

In order to pursue long-term growth and greater opportunities, we may have to say ‘no’ to short-term revenue opportunities, let go of the tried tested ways of working, deviate from conventional ways of business and marketing, and embrace new skill sets.

When we make difficult choices, it’s quite normal for fears and doubts to surface. And the likelihood is that we’ll never fully get rid of them if we choose to continue evolving ourselves and our work.

So if you’re you’re about to cross a boundary to the next level, don’t be surprised if you find yourself confronted by fears. With practice and awareness though, you’ll get good at recognising and managing them, so it takes less time to get over them and get on with your work.

Five fears that hold you back from improving your business

As a certified Fear Releasing Method practitioner, I work with the seven primary fears that hold you back from improving your business.

Five of these fears come up over and over again as we make dramatic changes and embark on something innovative – you may recognise one or more of them as you strive to improve your business or move yourself up a level in your career.

1) Fear of not being good enough

This fear is the voice behind ‘Who do you think you are?’ and ‘Who are you to do this?’ If you experience it, you may feel like you don’t have enough knowledge or information (or even the right!) to do something innovative or different. Or you may feel that you need more training or another blueprint to follow to make things work.

The truth is that, when you do things differently, you do stand a greater chance of things not working out. And this fear will make you translate any little bumps in the road into screaming evidence that you are indeed not good enough.

To eliminate the possibility of experiencing this pain, it’s very tempting to keep yourself in your comfortable (but restrictive) little box and avoid stirring things up.

2) Fear of change

Doing something different can mean changes to many things – and it can freak out our subconscious mind because our caveman brain equates status quo with safety.

When you’re afraid of change, you may do things to sabotage your efforts. So in the end you don’t have to do anything differently, creating the illusion of safety even if the status quo is NOT what you want!

3) Fear of lack

To change course probably means you have to slow down, look at the map, and plan your next move.

You may even need to say ‘no’ to revenue-generating opportunities that will suck you back into the status quo, and ultimately preventing you from moving forward. Perhaps you have to disappear for a while so you can get clear on your message. Or you must do less so you can create space for your big vision to come through.

All these can translate into a temporary drop in revenue. And it IS scary (tip: acknowledge that). As a result you might do something to try to patch the hole, even though it’s not aligned with your end goal. You get thrown back into caveman survival mode and doubt your big vision.

To ride through this fear, you will have to cultivate a lot of trust. You may even want to have a little bit of a war chest built up before you dive into the process.

4) Fear of being vulnerable

If you are putting something new and innovative out there, you stand a very good chance that it would not be accepted by everyone on the planet. There may even be critics and skeptics who trigger this fear.

As a result, you keep yourself small, or procrastinate so you don’t have to expose your new idea to a big audience, thus reducing the chance of being criticised or rejected. But at the same time, missing out on the opportunity to really grow and potentially launch something innovative, amazing and incredibly successful.

5) Fear of missing out

To make changes, you need to make choices. You will have to say ‘no’ to opportunities, and you will probably need to stop for a moment to see where you are going.

You may feel scared that things aren’t happening straight away, and this fear, like the fear of lack, can drive you back into doing busy work that gives you the illusion that something is happening, but ultimately takes you further away from your big vision.

How can you overcome your fears?

Do you recognise any (or all!) of these five fears? And are they holding you back from making spectacular progress in your own business (or even career)? And if so, what can you do?

The key to overcoming your fears is not to fight them, or beat yourself up for having them, but to acknowledge that fears and doubts are part of the process. They could even be positive – consider them a fantastic opportunity for you to confront and overcome your ‘baggage’ and become even better and more successful.

To overcome your fears, try these tips:

  1. Learn to recognise your triggers and primary fears, so you can nip them in the bud. If you can spot and confront fear as it creeps up, you’ve already won half the battle.
  2. Follow this five-minute, six-step process to tame your fear.
  3. Practice calmness and relaxation – find out what works for you (yoga, meditation, essential oils, walks in the country) and make time to enjoy it regularly.
  4. Trust that you’re on the right path and work through the fear!  

Ling Wong helps entrepreneurs nail their message and monetise their truth so they can build a purposeful and profitable personality-driven business. You can download her free Monetise Your Truth Mindset + Marketing training bundle here.