Fear is an emotion which is permanently embedded into the mind of a human being. If we remove this emotion from this world, then there would be total chaos in the society. It’s a protective instinct which shields us from dangers.
Fear is like the necessary evil, which tames the animal inside us and helps us to lead a normal and consistent life. Psychologists say that there are three basic emotions which a human being experiences: Fear, Hunger and Sex. Hunger and Sex is something which can be debated later, but Fear is what sustains humanity.
image source: survivingsurvivalism.com
Fear Of Failure: Every Entrepreneur Experiences It
But what if this same fear stops us from giving the best? When you are about to launch your own company or a new product or going to finish the book, this primitive emotion rises to the top and takes control of the mind.
You fear, and you back out.
What if this fails? What if people laugh? What if that neighbor uncle stops talking with you? What if your relatives boycott you? And so on. These questions hit you like an arrow, and puts huge, big and bold question mark on your decision.
The resistance which builds up gradually in such circumstances is simply incredible and too hard to push away. People wither away from their mission and they hide. This fear whispers, “Don’t do it now. Wait. You are not prepared. Analyze more and create more excel sheets. Don’t be stupid!”
And you back away. You do not launch that application which you were so passionate about few weeks ago and it feels all right as well. You hide that almost completed book under the blanket, and console yourself that the ‘right time hasn’t come yet.
Not doing anything feels so safe, right. When you don’t do anything, nothing terrible happens, and the status quo is maintained. In short, you declare your defeat against fear and crawl down.
The Solution To Overcome This Fear
Embrace it.
It is already a part of you. Declare it and celebrate it. Infact, use it.
The entrepreneur, the artist, the risk taker lives with this fear and makes better use of it. He accepts the fact that there is a danger and risk, and moving further ahead may result in crisis. But guess what? He absolutely loves it! He accepts failure as a part of life, and plays with this fear. He ‘uses’ this fear to conquer more ground. He is not afraid of this primitive emotion, but makes it his closest friend.
Embrace the fear and feel lucky about it. If you are fearing something, then trust your mind, and be assured that you are something exciting.
All you need to do is, divert the flow of energy. At the end, you will feel good about it.
PS: This post was originally posted on Trak.in
PPS: Another way to overcome fear is by attending The Rodinhoods Open House; and if you are from Delhi, you are really lucky as the next Open House is happening on November 9th, 2013 and here are the details. Here is my experience of the last Open House which was held in Mumbai.. Don’t miss it!
About Me: I am Mohul, a Writer who wants to become an Entrepreneur! I write about Content Marketing and Entrepreneurship. You can follow me on Twitter here and on Facebook here.
Rajat
When you have already taken the entrepreneurship plunge, fear mostly helps. These days I take the best decisions related to my startup when I get damn scared thinking of going back to a regular job if my venture fails 😛
Anamika Joshi
Naaice Mohul!! I am writing a small piece titled “No Space for Fear” and my twitter feed directed me to this article by you! Beautiful co-incidence!! Have always wondered the emotion called ‘Fear’. I keep questioning it as and when I encounter it… To some extent, it has always helped me prepare and perform better… An entrepreneur may not love the fear, but learns to live with it and in fact makes it a tool to overcome his/her apprehensions. Everyday brings a new set of fears and that’s how we evolve… by overcoming past ones, dealing with new ones!!