From our friend and contributor Neil Mathweg…

Sounds like an oxymoron, right?  After years of coaching agents, I can assure you that it’s not. Fear of success is usually the root of many agent’s inabilities to get their businesses to the next level.

The truth is, often we let fear stand in our way of success. It’s time to pursue the success you talk about, but are afraid to actually achieve.

Many of you agents are saying “we want to crush it” or “I’m ready to take my business to the next level,” but in reality, you are afraid of what would happen if you actually reached that level of success.

Make sure to watch the video below – Executive Editor Michael Krisa has his own take on FEAR- and a personal story he’d like to share.

Have you ever caught yourself thinking…

1.”I don’t want to hire a coach, because I’m afraid of what they might make me do. And when it actually works, then will I be able to handle it?” Ever thought that?

Or

2. Maybe you worked a deal, but it took all of your attention and time, and you are afraid if you have more deals, you won’t be able to handle it all.

Or

3. “I haven’t launched that marketing idea, made those phone calls, or held that open house every weekend, because what if it actually works. What if I get to much business and can’t handle it?”

Or

4. Maybe you’ve seen a team leader stressed out, and you think to yourself, “I don’t ever want to lead a team. Then I can avoid that stress.”

Or

5. “They did hundreds of transactions, I couldn’t imagine doing that many. They must have no life. No thanks.”

I can go on and on, but you get the point. Ever thought or said any of those things?

All of those are examples of fear of success. Not such an oxymoron anymore is it?

The good news is that fear is a liar and you have the authority to overcome that fear. Your success awaits you. It’s time to recognize your enemy, call him out, then move past all of the doubt and start living the full life you were designed for.

You can no longer afford to put your dreams and goals on hold. The world needs your creativity, leadership, business ideas and influence now more than ever. Fear is the only thing holding you back…

You see, fear has an excuse for everything. It will tell you that you are not smart enough, organized enough, skilled enough, influential enough, or worthy of the success you are pursuing.

This stops today. Today, we collectively declare that the enemy has no power over our success, that fear is a liar!

Get Angry!

You have an enemy that does not want you to succeed! That enemy only has power as long as you let fear run your life. That enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy everything that you are working on, and he uses fear to do it! To overcome that, it requires to get angry at the enemy (not at each other, mind you), call him out and strip him of his power!

If that sounds like I’m preaching, good! In fact if you really want to hear my passion for fighting fear click here – https://www.onionjuicepodcast.com/podcast/fighting-through-the-fear-of-success-episode-151/

You know best where fear has been given free reign in your life or business. Maybe it’s hiring a coach, or hitting a sales goal. Regardless, as you eliminate fear, your confidence grows, and your way of thinking starts to shift.   

I delayed a dream for nine months because I was afraid

When I started the I Love Madison Show I had a goal of connecting business leaders and members of the community.

For nine months, I planned an “I Love Madison” meetup to help accomplish that goal. Did it actually take nine months to plan? No. It took 15 minutes, and one Instagram message, but I was afraid it wouldn’t be perfect.

After stressing over all the details, I finally hosted the event, and it was awesome! All of the people who attended said the format (no agenda) was exactly what they needed. I met some local influencers and connectors, a team member of mine received some new business for his media company, and 25 or so members of the Madison community connected.

All of that would have been missed if I was still operating in fear. When you eliminate fear, often those around you are blessed as a result. If you don’t eliminate fear, you might be indirectly causing those closest to you to suffer.  

What have you feared doing in your business?  Please leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear about what you’re conquering!

For this article, and for dealing with fears specifically, we’ve also reached out to another of our regular contributors, Dr. Cliff Baird, for some practical tips on how to overcome your fear. Also check out this previous article by Brenda Florida – she talks about how to train your brain to ENJOY doing the things you look forward to the least.

Here are Cliff’s “4 Steps”:

4 STEPS TO OVERCOME FEAR

1.      Isolate your Fears Specifically

•         NOT: “I am afraid pf prospecting”
•         BUT instead be very specific: “I am afraid of calling my database”

2.      Ask yourself these 3 questions

•         What am I afraid of by calling my database?
•         What is the worst thing that could happen to me by calling?
•         Would my life be better if I was not afraid to call?

3.      READ about the Science of the Nervous System

•         HABITUATION is the diminishing of your fear by frequently confronting it.
•         AVOIDANCE of your fear empowers it and diminishes you
•         GENERALIZATION: Eventually uncontrolled fear will grow to include everything … all types of prospecting will become fears

4.      CONFRONTATION of Fear builds Skills

•        Without practice it is difficult to gain skill.
•        Without skill, confidence is less likely

Fear is a roadblock to your success and the attainment of your goals. Don’t let it control your path! Practice facing it head on each time you are faced with fear, and you will develop that skill and outwardly become the confident person you’ve always been on the inside.