Dominated by Fear

Too often, we let our fears dominate our thinking and our actions. It is not uncommon to let the possibility of failure stop us in our tracks. And in the process, the possibility of success is also stopped.

Failure is a part of life. No action is guaranteed to lead to the desired results. But the failure to act will most certainly keep us from achieving the goals we desire.

An effective way to overcome fear is through planning. Planning allows us to envision the end goal and the means to achieve it. Planning allows us to project possible obstacles and the means for overcoming them. Planning builds confidence—it is a kind of test run during which we can “practice” the steps needed to achieve our goals.

To use a simple example, let us say that you want to run a marathon one year from today. You are currently a couch potato and the thought of running 26+ miles seems impossible, and it probably is in this context. But if you develop a training plan the goal seems much less daunting.

With the marathon 12 months away you can plan specific steps to build your endurance. You can research suggested training methods, diet changes, exercise regiments, etc. You can map out milestones, such as being able to run 10 miles in less than 90 minutes within 3 months. Armed with this knowledge, and a plan, you will be more confident that you can actually achieve your goal.

The same is true of business goals (or any goal for that matter). And the bigger the goal, the more important it is to plan.

Accountability

You have probably heard a lot about holding employees accountable for their actions. But how do you hold yourself accountable? After all, you make the rules for your business, and you can break them whenever you want.

One way to hold yourself accountable is to share your plans and goals with others. If you proclaim your intentions to the world, you are more likely to follow up on them. If you keep them “secret”—to yourself—it can be rather easy to let things slip.

It is quite easy to set goals and then promptly forget them. The details of running a business, not to mention life itself, can distract us or send us off course. We can make excuses and procrastinate. There is no shortage of reasons why we can’t actively work on our goals. And this is even easier when those goals reside solely in the inner recesses of our mind.

Many contractors start their business because they want “freedom”—they don’t want the restrictions imposed by a boss or large corporation. They want to be able to do what they want, when they want. But such “freedom” is not a recipe for success. Success is not gained by following one’s whims, but by setting goals and pursuing them.

Ultimately, we can only be responsible for ourselves. We are the only person who can decide what we want out of life and how we will achieve it. And that requires that we hold ourselves accountable.