It’s not all about the idea when it comes to building a successful money making endeavor. It takes work, dedication, adaptability, and stamina. But, that’s not what you’re afraid of, right?
Every business coach can point to at least a few clients who seemed to have all the talent, resources, and determination in the world, but for some reason, they were never able to reach their goals with a single money making venture. They talked the talk, and walked the walk – for a while. But they ended up dropping out and were never heard from again.
What is it about the act of money making that holds people back?
In my experience, it’s often the fear of failure that keeps people stuck, despite their resources and skill level. For some reason they decide, consciously or subconsciously, they’d rather be right where they are, safe and sound. Any money making pursuit represents the unknown and the possibility of failure.
I’ve heard every excuse in the book, one time or another:
- Everyone knows you don’t start (a money making endeavor) in the summer (winter, fall, spring)
- I don’t know how to write a business plan, marketing plan, income projection
- I need to go back to school, take another class, buy another course
- I have to get my office ready, my website built, buy a fax machine
- I must wait for my youngest to start kindergarten, my oldest to start college, or my divorce to be final
That’s just the tip of the iceberg! I’ve heard it all.
There’s always a reason why now is not the right time to start a money making venture – but the real reason is that they’re simply afraid of not being able to make the grade. And then who knows what would happen if they (gasp!) failed?
As Malcolm Forbes says, Failure is success if we learn from it.
Ironically, it’s the fear of failure that actually causes them to fail! And they’re still alive, stuck in their status quo. So I guess failure wasn’t so bad after all, was it?
You know what I always say:
If not now, when?
If you have a goal in your heart, it’s there for a reason. You may be the only person who can bring that particular goal to reality in the exact way only you could.
The truth is there’s never going to be the perfect time to start any kind of money making venture. And the truth is you’ll likely have some stumbling blocks along the way. Everyone does. But you have to reach a point where staying where you are and never going full throttle toward your money making enterprise is more painful than any risk of misstep or failure. Then, and only then, will you be prepared to move forward. And I bet you’ll find it wasn’t anywhere near as scary as you thought it would be.
Your turn
How do you overcome the fear of failure in building your money making venture? What advice would you give others?
