Embrace Your Fears — How Top Entrepreneurs Use Doubt to Drive Growth

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Embrace Your Fears — How Top Entrepreneurs Use Doubt to Drive Growth

By Chad Willardson | Entrepreneur Magazine | Feb 12, 2024

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Taking big leaps toward growth as an entrepreneur can bring on a lot of fear and self-doubt. You also risk your reputation in a way. What will others think about you? What if you completely fail? Why are you so ambitious anyway? Can’t you just be happy with what you have or where your business is today? You may feel that fear of being judged, or you may be hesitant to go for the big jumps because of the unpredictability or possibility of failure.

Just know this: Every entrepreneur faces challenges and failures and feels self-doubt from time to time. That doesn’t even disappear completely once you reach higher levels of success and growth. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase: “Fear is wetting your pants, and courage is moving forward with wet pants.” As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to move forward with wet pants many times. These fears are not roadblocks but part of the journey. In fact, if you’re never scared or nervous about your goals, you’re likely thinking way too small.

As you progress in your business journey, consider these fears as indicators of where you need to focus and improve. It’s not about eliminating your fear but about understanding and leveraging it to drive your business forward. By recognizing your fears, setting clear and actionable goals, and seeking insights from mentors and coaches, you’re not just moving forward in your business — you’re strategically navigating it toward growth and success, one step at a time. You’re also doing things that strengthen your discipline and take you outside of your comfort zone. Most of your breakthroughs are on the other side of your fears.

Here’s how you can redefine fear and transform it into a powerful ally on your entrepreneurial journey: face your fears head-on, create a vision beyond your comfort zone, and align with a mentor who’s walked your path.

So embrace the mess, the uncertainty, the fear. Let it fuel you, not freeze you. You’re not just building a business; you’re building yourself and all the people on your team that you lead. Every setback, every fear overcome, is shaping you into the entrepreneur, the person, you’re meant to be. Your journey is unique, and so is your destination. Don’t shy away from setting those audacious goals, seeking that wise mentor or coach, and, most importantly, believing in yourself and your cause. You’ve got this, not because it’s easy, but because you’re capable of tackling the hard stuff. Here’s to moving forward, wet pants and all, towards a future you’re creating every single day.

3 key takeaways from the article

1. Every entrepreneur faces challenges and failures and feels self-doubt from time to time. That doesn’t even disappear completely once you reach higher levels of success and growth. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase: “Fear is wetting your pants, and courage is moving forward with wet pants.” As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to move forward with wet pants many times. These fears are not roadblocks but part of the journey. In fact, if you’re never scared or nervous about your goals, you’re likely thinking way too small.
2. As you progress in your business journey, consider these fears as indicators of where you need to focus and improve. It’s not about eliminating your fear but about understanding and leveraging it to drive your business forward.  
3. You can redefine fear and transform it into a powerful ally on your entrepreneurial journey by facing your fears head-on, create a vision beyond your comfort zone, and align with a mentor who’s walked your path.

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Topics:  Entrepreneurship, Startups, Success, Failure, Resilience