Business Basics 101: Fear is inevitable: don't let it blind you to options

Once, on a trip to Colorado, my husband, Hot Rod, and I decided to climb Long's Peak. Long's Peak isn't the most impressive mountain in the world. At about 14,000 feet tall, it comes to just below the belt buckle of Mount Everest. Still, it was the biggest mountain I had ever attempted.

Long's Peak isn't a technical climb, meaning you don't need ropes and special mountaineering gear to make it to the top. It was a fairly easy hike until the last 100 feet.

As we neared the peak, the mountaintop narrowed and the pitch got steeper. We had to use our hands and feet to climb the last stretch. At one point, I was clinging to the mountain by all fours and I started sliding. Steel-cold fear filled my head, blinding me. I couldn't see any place to reach for a secure hold. The mountainside looked smooth and slick and flawless. Not a bump or a crack.

I couldn't move, but my whole body was slipping slowly down the mountain. For a moment, Hot Rod (who's blessed with the mountaineering confidence of a goat) didn't key into my rising panic. Finally, my hyperventilating clued him in. He calmly, but firmly, ordered, "Put your right hand here, pointing to a gash in the rock. I did as he directed and stopped sliding.

And the fear disappeared. I caught my breath, and blinked my eyes. There were great, easy-access handholds and footholds all over the place. But, gripped by fear, I couldn't see a single available option. Without the fear, I zipped to the mountaintop!

Are you a business owner? Ever been really scared? Scared you won't make payroll? Scared that no one will buy? Scared that someone will not like what you sold him? I thought so. Fear is the one thing that can sink you and your business.

So, what really scares you? Is it raising your prices? Is it asking for the sale? Are you afraid of failing?

Success doesn't come from doing what everyone else does. It takes courage to buck the crowd. It takes overcoming your fear of failure.

You must be brave enough to persevere, even when your friends and family members are helpfully reminding you that "You can't charge that much!" or "If no one has done it before, maybe it's because it's a dumb idea."

You might need a little help, just enough to settle the fear and allow you to see your options. As a fellow business adventurer (and sometime mountain climber) let me offer these helpful suggestions:

Find like-minded business associates. Seek out people who are taking risks and befriend them. Commit to helping each other by blasting through imaginary or exaggerated fears. Support each other's efforts. Point out the handholds.

Read great books at least one book a week! Imagine the author as your personal development consultant. Fortunately, many successful businesspeople write books in which they offer their success tips.

Act on their advice. Action loosens fear's immobilizing grip. Start with Steven K. Scott's terrific book "Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams The 15 Power Secrets of the World's Most Successful People." Scott offers this course of action for overcoming fear:

"Write down the failure you fear; then write the worst possible outcome should that failure become a reality. Then write down what you think is the most likely outcome if that particular failure is realized. Finally, write down the greatest benefit you could realize if you succeed rather than fail. Usually, this reduces the possible failure to its true perspective, and in most cases will eliminate your fear of it."

It's like he's saying, "Put your hand here." Use that little action plan to overcome paralyzing fear. The world's greatest thinkers share their thoughts in books. Read!

Say your prayers. Meditate. Enlist the help of a power greater than yourself. Whatever your religious beliefs, there is more power in the world than you can hold in your two hands. Seek it out and use it to fuel your dreams and combat fear.

Fear is inevitable. If you choose to live ambitiously, you are going to get scared now and then.

Accept help when you need it. Offer help when you can. Take it a step at a time, and before you know it you'll be at the top of the mountain.

(Ellen Rohr helps folks make a living doing what they love. She is a business book author and consultant. She can be contacted through the Business Journal by writing to PO Box 1365, Springfield 65801 or via e-mail at sbj@sbj.net.)