Overcome Your Fear of Trying Something New

Sometimes you’re presented with opportunities that allow you to gain new markets, grow your business and increase your income. It’s a great opportunity that you may have hoped for or even actively pursued. In some cases, it may be an opportunity that you never expected and simply fell on your lap.

But with excitement and anticipation comes fear and trepidation.

What if you can’t do it? What if you’re in way over your head? What if you are not skilled enough, or equipped enough to handle the challenge? What if you’re already stretched too thin? What if you don’t have time to do this new opportunity? And the biggest fear of all – what if you fail?

Guess what? It’s ok to feel scared of these new projects and opportunities. It’s ok to sit down and spend a considerable amount of time thinking about these new things.

Here are some things that can help you overcome the fear of doing something new:

• Make a list of pros and cons why you should – or shouldn’t do – the new opportunities. This can help you better understand what’s at stake whether you push through or give up these new things.
• Be open to learning. Open your mind to learning something new. Welcome the idea of working on something new, something that will challenge you. The only way to improve and grow is by learning new things that can better help your life and business.
• List down what you can benefit from doing it, and see whether it outweighs all the negatives.
• Talk to people you trust, know your strengths and weaknesses, and most likely to be affected when you embark on this new opportunity.
• Research these new tasks and inform yourself. Fear often stems from the unknown – not knowing what it entails, what the processes are, and how to do it. Check out the websites of companies doing similar things and study how they present the tasks. Talk to people already doing it. The more you learn what’s involved, the more confident you will be in facing these new challenges.
• Practice, practice and practice. Go slowly and practice these new tasks. The more you practice, you’ll gain more confidence, and be better prepared meeting these new challenges head on.
• Know that you can stop anytime. If this opportunity involves contracts, make sure that there are exit clauses that will allow you to get out of it should you feel that you cannot really do it.

As an entrepreneur, you will always be faced with new opportunities – new projects, new clients, new strategic directions. These new opportunities can spell growth for your business. Take your chances. Just remember to balance your excitement to do these new things with the realities of your present situation. Listen to your fear, but see if the positives outweigh the negatives. Most importantly, believe that you can actually do it. Have faith that you can do it, and that you will succeed in this new opportunity.