During a recent movie night in our home we watched the lighthearted, family-friendly and funny movie, Sister Act.  It was a double feature, so the 2 1/2 star rated (and not- so-well-received) Sister Act 2 was up next.  Instead of switching the channel, we hung in there, content to be settled in with comfy blankets, popcorn, and hot chocolate.  Family togetherness at its best.

At one point in the movie, the high school choir was ready to flee the scene after seeing last year’s winning choir compete and get a standing “O”.  Whoopi Goldberg’s character turns to the teenagers and says, “…If every time something scary comes up and you decide to run… y’all are going to be running for the rest of your lives.” The words brought me out of my hot chocolate coma, as I realized that’s exactly what stops so many entrepreneurs from moving forward.  Something scary comes up and they just keep running further away from their dreams.

Here are 3 scary things YOU might be running from, and what you can do about it to become fearless:

1.  Comparing yourself to a competitor or team member who is perceived to be #1, or in some way better than you: Perception is a funny thing; it becomes reality.  If you perceive your competition or team member to be #1 or better than you, you will always lag behind, because you think someone out there already has the lion’s share of the business. Or they got there first. If that were true we’d stop seeing new pizza places opening up on every street corner. Even if you sell the same widgets as everyone else, there’s only ONE you.  Stay in your lane and stop focusing on what everyone else is doing. Instead, focus on what makes you unique.  What is your niche? Break free from the crowd and do something extraordinary this year!  Write a book, start a blog, speak to groups, share your expertise with your ideal client, or create a weekly Facebook Live show.  “If you’re able to be yourself, then you have no competition.” – Barbara Cook

2. Fear of Success or Failure: It’s hard to imagine that people fear being successful just as much as they fear failure, but it’s true.  We’ve all heard the sayings, “It’s lonely at the top,” or, “There’s only one place to go but down”.  With success comes expectations, and some people are not quite ready to put themselves out there.  So, every time success comes knocking, we close the door and run away, sabotaging our dreams.  It’s called the talent trap.  We shout out defiantly, “Take that, Success!  You can’t catch me!”  The solution is to leave your ego at the door.  Instead of focusing on what success means to you, focus on what your success will mean to others.  Who will you be taking with you to the top? What jobs will you be providing in your community?  Whose lives will you touch?  How does your success make a difference?  Tie up your laces and run toward serving others. That’s how you run away from your fear.

3.  Getting stuck in the “Comfort Zone”: The comfort zone is just like the Twilight Zone; it’s all in our head.  Being “comfortable” is not so great.  It dilutes our self-esteem and confidence and prevents us from living an abundant life with no limits.  We run from scary things by procrastinating, ensuring we’ll never face the contact we should call, the client we need to meet, the networking group we should join or the Conference we should attend.  The only solution, as my Mother used to say, is to, “Build a bridge and get over it.”  Start with small successes: attend a networking event with a friend, hand out a product sample to a potential customer and ask for their feedback, join a social group (like a book club).  Do something everyday that makes your heart flutter with excitement.  Embrace that we live in an imperfect world.  Every experience may not end as you expected; that’s OK.  Your confidence, and in turn your success, will grow exponentially.

To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your path, and don’t worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest. – Martin Luther King

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