Written by: Samantha Touchais, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Speaking from the years of experience I have been working with some truly incredible women, I see something very common across the board. It is a fear of failure and fear of the unknown that holds women back from launching their own businesses.
As a Business and Mindset Coach for women at the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey, I am in the privileged position of hearing about many dreams and just as many fears.
I understand the fears coming up for these women as a number of years ago, I left a highly lucrative corporate career to start my own business. That business is no longer around, and I have since launched a total of four businesses, with two that are still going strong today.
But I want to ask you something. When you imagine your last day on earth, what do you want to look back on and be proud of? Do you want to look back and your vision be clouded by the fear that stopped you from taking that first step towards creating a dream life and profitable business?
Or do you want to be proud of the way you handled your fears, the fact that you asked for help, and that you took action as imperfect as action can often be?
Fear often comes from a feeling of not being in control. It also is the outcome of a sensation of overwhelm and uncertainty.
I see fear getting in the way of dreams on a daily basis. This is why I wanted to share with you 10 ways that you can overcome these fears in order to be your own boss and live a life of financial freedom.
1. Create a plan.
Getting clear on what it is you want to create and what you want to achieve is crucial in the realization of your dreams.
Dreaming something does not make it happen. Planning out your steps and taking action is what will lead you to success.
2. Create a timeline.
The only way to achieve a goal is to make sure it is SMART, that is, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.
While all of these elements are equally important, I believe the most powerful aspect to achieving one’s goals is to put a timeframe to it.
3. Break your goals down into short, medium, and long-term.
The best way to achieve a goal is to take action. And the best way to take action is to start with an initial step. Breaking your goals down into sizable and digestible chunks will help manage any feelings of overwhelm, will increase your motivation levels as you see yourself achieving things on a daily basis, and will get you to the endpoint much quicker than if you start with one big hairy goal that looms above you.
4. Take at least one action every day.
Focus is needed in order to achieve goals. Momentum is just as important. By focusing on one step each day, you will achieve your goal in a surprisingly short amount of time.
5. Track your progress.
How do you know if you are en route to achieve your goal if you don’t track where you are at on a regular basis?
This is a very important part of feeling like you are in control—a perfect antidote to fear.
Whether you track your progress using a spreadsheet or some other electronic tool or simply use pen and paper, checking in with your goals and your progress ideally every day means you will not lose direction. It is also a great way to keep up motivation as you see that you are continuing to make progress.
6. Realise that obstacles will arise.
This is real life we are dealing with! Obstacles and challenges will arise along the way, and if you can accept that from the beginning, your resistance will be lower, which in turn leads to easier problem-solving and less derailment.
7. Visualise the outcome.
Along with my business coaching, I am a mindset coach, and visualization is one of the most powerful tools I teach my clients.
Professional athletes use visualization, as do some of the world’s most successful business people. It is even linked with medical miracles.
Visualize yourself achieving your goal and how amazing it will feel. See it like a movie in your mind and feel the emotions as if it is happening to you right now.
But don’t forget to also visualize getting through any challenges and see yourself putting in the hard work that it will take to achieve your goal. This prepares the brain as well as the emotions to take action and get ready to receive success.
8. Remember your why.
It is very important to understand why you want to launch your own business in the first place.
Being really clear on your purpose in life as well as the purpose for starting your own business is what will pull you through the hard times and keep you moving towards launching and running your own business.
9. Seek out inspiration.
Sometimes we feel like we are living in a bubble. Many of my clients tell me that they feel lonely at the beginning stages of running their business and that they believe they are alone in their struggles.
Surround yourself with inspirational people as well as people who are a bit further down the track than you are. This is a great way to help you with those feelings of loneliness but also to lift you up and show you that success is possible, yes, even for you!
10. Have an accountability partner.
As a business coach, I also play the role of accountability partner with my clients. This means that they share their goals and dreams with me, that we work on the plan together, and that I then hold them lovingly accountable for achieving those goals.
If you don’t have a business coach, you can find someone in a Facebook group or ask a colleague, friend, or family member. You need someone who is willing to tell you the truth and not sugarcoat things. So make sure you choose the right person before sharing your dreams and goals with them.
Now take action!
If you have followed the steps above, you will now be clear on what it is you want to achieve, the kind of business you want to launch, and the time frame for launching it in.
You will have visualized the steps you need to take as well as the light at the end of the tunnel and how good life will feel when you achieve this goal and launch your profitable business.
I specialize in helping women who feel stuck or overwhelmed at the thought of starting their own business, and together we get a plan in place, actions are taken, and success is achieved at a surprisingly rapid pace.
If you would like to know more about how I can help you, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me on any of the social media links below or at my email address: samantha@touchais.com.
Samantha Touchais, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Samantha Touchais is a Business and Mindset Coach helping women create a safe and secure path to launching their dream business by providing them with the support and tools to make it a success. She has over 20 years of marketing and strategy experience working for large international companies worldwide. Her love of how the mind works and how to create the right mindset for success led her into coaching. She lives and breathes marketing and mindset and loves sharing her learnings with others. Author of four books and the creator of the Well Being Series (a collection of apps and books that provide meditations and affirmations for well-being based on the latest neuro-science), she loves exploring Europe, where she has been for the last 14 years but misses the beaches of her native Australia.
