Insights 33: How To Overcome Fear

I work with some?incredible?CEO’s.

True innovators, and thought leaders.

Amongst them,?

Some have raised $100m+ in funding

Some have built unicorns or are in the process.

And some have exited at 20x multiples.?

Their insights and energy inspire everyone around them.

And I’ve noticed there’s?ONE trait, in particular, which separates the?“The Brilliant CEOs” from “The Mediocre CEOs”

It’s their?mindset.?Specifically a lack of FEAR. ??

Fear shows up in many ways in our lives.

Fear tells you to?stop investing?in marketing.

Fear pushes you to?stay small.

Fear tells you “things need to happen quicker.”

Fear wants you to invest?exclusively?in the?status-quo.

Most of us fear losing?money.

We have an “anxious attachment” to money - even if we have PLENTY of it. Loss aversion is wired into us.

Fear drives CEOs to THINK in 3 month time frames. Their time horizons shrink.

Fearless CEOs THINK 24 months (or more) ahead.

Fear drives CEOs to make excuses

• “I’m waiting for x before I invest”?
• “I need to know the ROI because I’m just so fearful of losing Y”?

And believe me - I GET IT.

I often feel fear too:

I face the same daily terror which plagues?all?entrepreneurs:?

• What if I’ve over-capitalised?
• What if I’ve listened to the wrong people? What if I lose a big client today? Will I ever get another one?
• And why does the buck always have to stop with ME??

So I decided to talk to someone about FEAR.

A big Wave surfer (turned motivational speaker), Mark Mathews who has been studying FEAR for decades.

Originally for himself to help him overcome the terror of surfing?50-foot walls of bone-crushing,?aquatic?terror.

With only skill, grit and a 5-foot strip of fibreglass and foam to protect him from certain death.

So, what’s Mark's method for dealing with fear which can be applied to business??

Here is his secret ????

Imagining the WORST possible outcomes:?Like losing his family or dying broke. And keeping that vision in his mind as he contemplates what he must do to avoid it.

He favours the “voluntary exposure” method: Dipping your toes into whatever you’re afraid of, until you’re no longer afraid of it.

Mark now teaches how to overcome FEAR to BIG brands like Red Bull and Iconic through his keynote speeches (another job he’s secretly?terrified?of doing - but does?anyway).

When I look at my circle of clients who are CRUSHING IT

Here is what I see ??

You’ve probably heard me mention CEO Chris J before:

Chris was born with a rare genetic condition which was supposed to kill him before he reached 30.?

Except he?beat?those odds and went on to celebrate his 30th birthday - and then his 31st, 32nd, 33rd…he will be celebrating his 50th next year :)?

He developed his own?philosophy?- and decided to?live?every year?as though it was the?last?he’d ever get.

The way he lives is reflected in the title of his book: “Just Keep Going”. FEARLESS.

And now - he is crushing it in business. Recently expanding his offshoring company,?Remote Staff?to the USA, and helping SME's hire Filipino talent to scale their business. Starting at $1k per month.

And let’s not forget my friend, H?vard Lillebo.

Most people have one, maybe two failed businesses in them. After that,?they give up.

I mean, wouldn’t you?

H?vard?failed 5 times?before getting a successful exit.?

He’s now raised over 144 million Euros in total, had 2 exits and has 5 amazing startups doing truly innovative work.?

For example, he has built a robot that cleans?fishnets for farmers (saving them 100k+ per year)!?

And just like Chris:

H?vard?always?pays-it-forward! His investment philosophy is about improving the world with tech and he?only?invests in projects with high?social?dividends.

If FEAR is holding you back (particularly given the state of the global economy atm, I want you to LISTEN to this podcast

Honestly after the podcast, I was personally so energised and transformed. I got a sense of CALM and CLARITY in my mind.

I was like BOOM I’m going to GO GET IT.

So if you need that motivation, clarity. Take a listen.

It will teach you techniques you never knew of and give you a 4 step process:?

1. Acknowledge whatever you’re afraid of
2. Put it in context - by imagining something?bigger?(good?or?bad - it’s up to you)
3. Be?grateful?for the lessons you’ve learnt when things?don’t?work out.
4. PAY IT FORWARD!

I challenge you to find a life-coach who says ANY of that is bad practice!

The only question is:

Which fear will YOU conquer today?

Want to connect and grow with brilliant entrepreneurs overcoming their fears along their content journey????

BE FEARLESS