FEAR FACTOR >> Conquering Doubt & Uncertainty!
For most people, the challenge of building an online business and making money online has nothing to do with the "how-to".
It's mostly a mental game.
You might know exactly what I mean.
The "how-to" is relatively simple; if you're unsure about something, the answer is usually easy to find. It might take a little searching and some Q&A. And for some of us, myself included, it takes time to learn new things.
But very few, if any of us, have been held back because we could not learn HOW to do something.
It's the mental game. The fear of failure and the frustration of failure.
It's the doubt and uncertainty.
Maybe you doubt that it works at all, or maybe you doubt yourself. Either way, it leads to uncertainty and the fear of failure.
And you will fail. You'll also get frustrated by the failures.
If you've grown up following the traditional path; going to school and getting a job... these things are incredibly uncomfortable.
Schools discourage mistakes and failures, which must be avoided at all costs. The last thing you want to do in school is fail.
And making mistakes while working your job can get you fired.
We also go to school and get a job for certainty. Or at least the illusion of certainty. You may hate your job (or maybe not), but you love the certainty of knowing you'll get paid for the work you do.
Even if the pay is less than you'd like.
A job also gives you a sense of long-term certainty. You can plan vacations a year in advance. You can buy a house with the reasonable confidence that you can make the monthly payments for decades to come.
So most of us are conditioned to seek that certainty and avoid failure. We were taught that mistakes are bad, which I DO NOT teach my daughters. Instead, I encourage them to make mistakes and fail.
But if that wasn't the world you grew up in, it may have been the world your parents or grandparents grew up in.
And then, you join Wealthy Affiliate, start building your online business, and doubt, uncertainty, and the fear of failure whisper in your ear. Maybe they overwhelm you.
Not at first, because you're excited. But after the honeymoon phase is over, you're not so sure.
"What if it doesn't work?"
"What if I can't do this?"
"Success is for other people, not me?"
I've had everyone one of those thoughts, and I still have them. This has been my full-time income for 4 or 5 years, and still... doubt and uncertainty nag me.
But I gave up listening, and you don't have to listen to them either.
That's been my best strategy for dealing with them because the truth is, they just don't matter.
Having said that, the "fear of failure" is what I mean, which is different than failure.
Failure... I love.
Failure has become my best friend and teacher.
But the "fear of failure" and the doubt and uncertainty that come with it don't matter.
What have been your strategies for dealing with the fear of failure, doubt, and uncertainty?
Recent Comments
29
You are absolutely right , that in some careers we cannot afford to make mistakes! Although it happens BUT the result could either be fatal or life altering!
But in this case, as blog writers, another failure becomes an inspiration!
It’s not in the falling down, but in rising up and trying again is what counts!!!
You have a very nice speaking voice, calm and reassuring!
Thank you for the motivating message Jay!!
Cheers,
Maria 🌹
Thanks Maria, I appreciate that :-)
You're absolutely right that it's getting up and doing it again that counts, and that's what inspires all of us because it's what we can all relate to.
Hope you are well and thanks again.
You're very welcome, my friend! I am doing as well as I can be right now, and I wish the same for you, my friend!
Jeff
Hey, Jay
As a physician, I know the importance of doing things right. I was raised to have a great deal of self-confidence, but I still had to work hard to excel.
Getting outside of our comfort zone is what drives us to succeed.
Haha, I don't consider your video a failure! 😎
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and Rock On! 🤘
Frank 🎸
Thanks Frank. There's definitely a time and place when doing something right is critical. But, that's why we practice and prepare. And sometimes, you don't always know exactly what it is you're practicing or preparing for.
It has to be enough sometimes to just trust that whatever skill you're learning will serve you in the future, even if it's not yet clear why you should be learning it.
Thanks for the kind words as well. It was a success in the fact that I got it done and learned something in the process. If it's received well, that's just a bonus :-)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend as well.
Jay
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J-K West, thank you for this most uplifting message on fear, doubt and uncertainly. Contrary to what you think, your video blog resonated with me and a whole lot of other affiliates. It's all about risk taking. We all tend to be risk averse. It's like a man who wants to eat scrambled eggs but does not want to break an egg!
Thanks Dada, your message is uplifting as well, and very much appreciated. I think risk aversion comes from a time when the world was much more dangerous. It's a defense mechanism.
But that gets reinforced as we grow up and many of us are taught that mistakes and failure are bad. But the opposite is true. Mistakes and failures are necessary.
Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment :-)