The line between fear and trust is full of oxygen

I spent some time on the phone with a client who was just freaking out about some changes she was getting ready to make in her business.

She’s been doing business this way for a really long time - and now she’s about to change “everything!” She’s afraid she won’t be able to do it, or handle all the new steps, or her team won’t agree with the changes.

I get it! It’s scary. And…

We rarely make drastic changes in our lives or business because we just want to upend everything. We make changes because we want a new future. We want new possibilities. We crave something bigger or better or juicier for our lives.

So often we map out our plans, and start working toward that new goal, and then we find ourselves stuck, or derailed, or just sidetracked. Because change is scary - despite the great looking possibilities on the other side of the “what ifs.” Because this stuff is occasionally hard - and exactly why not everyone can be an entrepreneur.

So what’s an entrepreneur with aspirations to do?

Well, we start with that deep breath.

Seriously. My client and I took some really good, deep breaths together today. Let’s settle the nervous system first. Put some fresh O2 in the blood stream and into the brain. Calm the body’s anxiety response.

We can’t think clearly if the body we live in is flooded with adrenaline and low oxygen levels and the muscles are tensed up ready for the fight or flight. Please remember that our bodies don’t really distinguish between “there’s a lion chasing you right now, run!” and “OMG! I can’t press “send” because I’m afraid of the response…” Fear is fear, my friend. And our bodies are amazing and just respond in the only way it can - fight, flight or freeze.

Notice that none of those responses actually will get you business.

We need our conscious, adult, thinking brain to override the subconscious responses that are triggering the body into “FFF”- which creates MORE subconscious responses and drives actions that are not from that thinking, adult brain. Into the loop we go…

So that breath - wow. It calms the nervous system. It creates a gap in the subconscious/ body response where our adult mind can step in and take control.

Next step - just acknowledge that something that is happening is scary. Got it. It really is! But that’s okay - something can be scary but our adult mind can handle it!

For my client, we just took that deep breath, acknowledged the fear and upset, and then she was able to realize that she was trying to solve problems that weren’t really true right now.

We worked out her next step. Just the 3 things she can do this week - not two weeks from now, or a month from now, just this week.

We’ll figure out next week’s steps next week.

Trust your adult mind to figure it out!

So, if you find yourself confronting the “FFF” response, or “stuck” and not making progress - give these three steps a go:

1. Take a deep breath (I like 3, but that’s just me)
2. Acknowledge that something is scary, and it’s okay
3. Ask yourself, what’s ONE thing I can do today, or 3 things I can do this week to move this forward?

Then go do that thing! Trust yourself to be capable of figuring out the step after this one when you get there!

Taking one step at a time, with a lot of deep breathing -
Jenell

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I have supported hundreds of clients with small businesses make more money, reach successes they previously found elusive, and thrive as a CEO of a business rather than a slave to a job they built for themselves.

• I don’t believe coaching is about forcing you to do things my way.
• I do believe that being an entrepreneur is a lonely sport and we all need a team behind us!
• I am firmly rooted in gratitude, and paired with a solid action plan it’s a powerful tool to reach your goals.
• I do not think you can just think yourself out of a box you built for yourself.

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If you are looking for a quick injection of gratitude, check out my 28 Days of Gratitude Practice for Entrepreneurs here.

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If you are an entrepreneur who is ready to take your business to the next level or feel like it’s time to uplevel your own CEO skills - spend 30 minutes and create a plan for your next 6 weeks.

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