Regarding the image below, I am dating myself, but when I was in college the preferred
brand in my wardrobe was “No Fear.” Yes, I am ashamed to admit that the majority t-shirts in my closet were no fear and that’s pretty much all I wore. Even though this was a trend that was born and left behind in the 90’s, I do think it is a powerful message that is relevant to our company today.
I recently read “Take the Stairs,” by Rory Vaden, where he dedicates an entire chapter to discussing the three faces of inaction. We consistently see those having success with selling new products do not have the following three “faces” or attitudes: Fear (I am scared to sell it), Entitlement (why should I have to sell it), and Perfectionism (I won’t sell it if I can’t sell it perfectly). If you show me someone not achieving their desired results, I can show you one these diagnoses. The good news is these are easy to fix! Let’s start off with Fear. Unhealthy fear is F.E.A.R, False Evidence Appearing Real. This is when the most ancient part of our brain (the reptilian complex) takes over to dictate primitive behaviors and controls our instincts to survive, but is based on memories that are “photoshopped.” With FEAR, your mind keeps you imprisoned because it’s too risky to venture out. This enables people to believe it’s easier to give up on the dreams of success than it is to muster up the courage, discipline, work ethic, to bring those dreams into reality. In other words, if we don’t have to try, we don’t have work, and we don’t have to open ourselves up to the possibility of failure.
To paraphrase Vaden, we live in a society conditioned to take the escalator (easy way), versus mustering up the effort and habits to take the stairs. The cure for F.E.A.R. is simple; it is ACTION! It’s ok to be scared, just do it scared. Think of how much courage it took to ride your “big kid bike” the first time, the one without the training wheels. You were afraid to fall, afraid of skinning your knee or elbow, but you did it anyway. There are so many other examples of how each of us has overcome F.E.A.R. from the time we were children all the way to present day; draw on these experiences to get your reptilian brain in check and take action.
Don’t let the fear of blowing a new product sales pitch hold you back. If you are unsure about whether it’s the right time talk to a doctor, do it unsure. It’s OK to be in an new product procedure and be uncomfortable, do it uncomfortable. Just do it and learn from it; that is the attitude of the disciplined and successful. The closer you get to fear the more likely you will overcome it.
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