This week’s question from our portal “Ask Us Anything” comes from Jordan:
A couple of months ago we started setting up our sales and marketing machine. Last week we started up the sales part by getting a salesperson, and now it’s working—our pipeline is filling, not with a few leads, but dozens. And it’s scary as hell. Our subconscious is revolting, focusing us on all sorts of small problems and blowing them up, being scared of “now if they’re coming in, how do we deliver?” even though I know we have the capability.
What are you afraid is going to happen? Crash and burn? And if you crash and burn? You’d have to start over. And then? You’d probably do something similar and get it running again—a lot faster than the first time.
So there’s really no basis for the fear. It’s just your subconscious that’s unfamiliar with what’s happening.
The biggest problem is the story that a person starts to tell when they have the feelings of fear. We usually feel fear first and then we create a story second. The rationalization of the fear in our mind is what causes the biggest problem.
We’re actually constructed to feel fear and deal with it in really great ways. On a biological level—fight, flight, or freeze—if it’s imminent life danger, a person doesn’t even think about it. So whenever we’re moving forward, fear is a natural part of the process. I would see it only as a warning light. That’s all it is.
Then bring your conscious mind into it and evaluate the fear. Is there any substance to it? If so, maybe there’s something I need to deal with that I didn’t realize. If not—if it’s just a new direction—then you allow the fear to be there. You don’t try to push against it, because you never will be able to push against it enough. You say, “Get behind me, fear. This is the direction we’re going. Everything is going to be okay. I’m in charge.”
This starts to reveal evidence that your subconscious mind doesn’t realize you’re in charge. It’s trying to take charge. You have to remind your subconscious mind: I’m in charge. Everything’s gonna be fine.
Anybody can do this. You feel fear? Okay, what’s the worst that could happen? And then keep going—”then what? Then what?” As you do that, you build a picture in your mind and you come to the realization that almost nothing is as bad as it feels, and this catastrophic idea that’s hard to pinpoint when we feel fear is almost never real.
