Back yourself: The truth about fear, change, and doing it anyway

Want to know what sometimes happens after people come onto a coaching discovery call and realise a) how powerful coaching is and b) how much it can support them in turning their career dreams into reality? 

Fear sets in.

And it makes sense!

Once you realise what is possible for you and that there is support and expertise at your disposal (from an experienced coach, like me), you actually have to do something about it.

No more wondering or wandering.

No more excuses.

Once you commit to coaching, you become accountable. 

At this point after an initial call, people either feel the fear and do it anyway, or run for the hills.

I completely get it. 

I was exactly the same after I stopped waxing and waning and decided to book a discovery call with a business coach, and in the decision-making process that followed that call.

I realised anything was possible for me. I was on the cusp of stepping away from what was no longer serving me and into what I had dreamed of for years. I was terrified. 

You are scared of failure.

You are scared of change.

You are scared of the unknown.

You are scared of what others will think.

You are scared of being held accountable.

You are scared of stepping out your comfort zone.

You are scared of investing in yourself at this level.

Even once clients have decided to commit to coaching, in the lead up to actually starting I usually receive emails saying how nervous they are feeling. A big part of my job is helping clients navigate their fear.

Change can be hard and backing myself is a work in progress for me - every day. 

Backing myself as a coach, as a business owner, as a leader, and as a mum.

Backing my intuition, my values, my abilities,  my body and my choices.

That little spark of excitement at what’s possible for you? Lean into it even when it feels more like fear. 

We ALL experience a fear of failure, to some degree, at some stage in life. It’s completely normal and appropriate to weigh up the risks before embarking on something new. 

When you’re scared of failure, you do everything you can to avoid it. But actually? Failure often doesn’t happen, and if it does it doesn’t always feel that bad. 

Often, it’s not the failure itself we fear, it’s the reaction of others to our having ‘failed’. We fear feeling embarrassed, or shame, or disappointing someone else.

So, to protect ourselves from the risk of failing, we put things off, telling ourselves we are too busy [PROCRASTINATION].

Or we convince ourselves we don’t really want it – better to not get stuck into something we might not want, right? [INDECISION]

Or we pretend we’ll do it soon, when we are a little more qualified or ‘ready’. [SELF-DOUBT]

Or we tell ourselves it just needs a little more tweaking, shuffling, shifting before we put it out there to the rest of the world. [PERFECTIONISM]

Fear of failure becomes a problem when it gets in the way of you pursuing something that is important to you. And if failure is something that worries you, ask yourself this – what will you regret more? Trying something and not doing it perfectly, or not trying at all?

Career coaching is a great way to step outside your comfort zone with support. Book a free 30-minute coaching session with me, or send this blog link to a friend in need.

Back yourself, today and every day.