I wanted to talk to you today about two types of fear…and whether you're allowing the BIG fear to actually hold you back from living your best life. Is fear holding you back?
There are good fears…and there are bad fears.
One fear keeps you safe…and alive. It prevents you from making really stupid decisions that could literally cost you your life, or at the very least…grave bodily harm.
The other fear holding you back is preventing you from living your best life. It keeps you “safe” at the cost of your amazing future. It speaks to you in the same way the other fear does. And…it is an irrational fear.
Don't let the fear of death or grave bodily injury prevent you from living your best life. Fear of prospecting…and all that goes along with it is literally robbing people of their future. There is no death or bodily injury in prospecting. Being paralyzed and afraid to engage someone in a simple conversation…for fear of being embarrassed, messing up, judged, not approved, or any other thought that might cross your mind is a fear that is BLOCKING YOU from success. It's completely irrational.
Rational fear Keeps you Safe. “If I fall, I die. That's rational.”
Worst Case Scenario: Death. This fear holding you back prevents you from making very stupid decisions and is completely rational.
Irrational Fear Prevents you from Living. “I don't prospect because I'm worried about being judged. There's nothing rational about it.”
Worst Case Scenario: Your prospect says NO. That's right…NO. This is the irrational fear holding you back from success, and requires your attention to stomp it and push it out of your life.
A 1000 Foot Cliff or a Three Foot Ledge:
Let's take a cliff's edge into the conversation for a moment. Whether it's 1000 feet high or only three feet off the ground, it's sitll the same edge.
In one case, you're standing on the edge of a cliff with a 1000 foot drop. Scary? You bet….and it should be.
If you fall, you'll very likely die.
On the other hand…you're standing on the same edge, yet this time it's only three feet high. Are you scared? Doubt it. WHY?
Very simple. The consequences are minimal. You certainly don't risk death or even grave bodily harm. It's only three feet. Yet, it's the same edge. It's virtually impossible to even injure yourself…unless you're completely clumsy and roll your ankle as you step down.
How about putting yourself on the “edge” of making a prospecting call? Could you die? Not a chance. Yet…people fear it. In fact, many people become completely paralyzed and unable to move.
Consider the Consequences
If you're at all paralyzed with fear in this business, I want you to seriously consider the consequences. The consequence of you standing on the edge of a 1000 foot cliff and losing your footing versus the consequences of you making a prospecting call that you've been avoiding.
Do you begin to see how irrational and crazy it is to be afraid of talking to someone about your business? Stop allowing an activity with extremely low consequence to prevent you from living the life you're capable of living!
What if you DID act?
What if you decided to FACE that fear?
Where will your life be when you've pushed all your irrational fears aside?
Life looks pretty good, doesn't it?
Go get it!