We had, what is referred to in Vancouver, British Columbia, a major snowstorm. In the rest of the Country, it would be considered a mild dusting. Driving in this ‘snowstorm’ is not only comical but also dangerous, because of the reaction of other drivers.
You may be asking yourself: “What does this have to do with anything in business?” The answer is, because of the reactions of some of these drivers. That reaction is ‘fear.’
How afraid are you in your day to day business? Are you hesitating to make that phone call that you know you have to make? Are you afraid to go in and talk to a client that may not be too happy with you at this point? Are you scared to make the next cold call?
If the fear persists and you do nothing about it, then I have to ask you: “What are you doing in this world of business?”
As I approached an entry ramp onto a bridge the day after our ‘major snowstorm’, I noticed a line of cars going less than half the speed limit onto the bridge. The roads were clear of any snow and it was sunny. At the front of this line was a small vehicle with a lone driver. When I finally got on the bridge and changed lanes, I sped up to the posted limit and as I approached the slow vehicle, they were gripping the steering wheel so tight I swear I could see their white knuckles. They were leaning forward so that their face was ahead of the steering wheel and they were doing less than half the posted speed limit. The look of terror was quite evident. The bridge had been plowed, sanded, salted and was completely dry. If you are that afraid to drive in these conditions, do yourself and everyone else a favor, stay home.
Which brings us back to our business fears. If you are afraid to make the call, see the client or even make the cold call, why not just stay home? If the fear you are experiencing is so great, the bigger question you have to ask yourself is: “Why am I doing this in the first place?” At this point, you are no different than the driver on the bridge.
However, there is hope to lose this fear; and that is in knowing what to do when you encounter the fear. Like the driver, if you were to gain the knowledge about handling the fear by acquiring the tools necessary to put the fear aside and if you had the know-how at your fingertips to ignore that fear, you would be so much more productive, proficient and dare I say it, profitable; whether it is simply just getting on a bridge and driving across it, or in your business.
The above is something we do in ‘The Action Suite.’ This is not a commercial for our program, but more a call to action for some to get the extra help to get over the fears in doing what you want to do. When you attend, know that our goal is to turn business people into professionals (and one of the biggest differences between the two is that the professional knows how to handle the fears). Yes, they still have them, but they know what to do with them.
If one does not know how to face down their fears, then like the driver, please stay home. It’s difficult enough out here.