Great people use the fear that should hold them back to move them forward.

How do you do that?

I'm going to share a series of questions to ask yourself when confronted with fear.

I learned this from my coach, Jess Blanche, and have found these questions to be extremely helpful. I think you will too.

As I go through each one, I'll use a recent example of a fear that I was wrestling with about hiring a digital marketing company. 

So, here goes:

What is it that you fear?

Naming what you fear will bring clarity to the situation.

As I was debating on hiring the agency to manage my company's Facebook & Instagram ads, I realized that I feared losing money.

Up until this point, I managed all the social media ads. Paying someone else to do this was a risk.

Why do you fear it?

This is a powerful question because it digs a little deeper under the surface. 

Why did I fear losing money? Because I didn't have an abundance mindset. In the moment, I forgot that money is a renewable resource. If I lost some, it wasn't gone for good. I could figure out a way to bring in more revenue. 

What do you need to believe in order for the fear to be true?

This question helps you identify if there is a limiting belief hiding under the fear. 

In order for me to lose money hiring the agency, I would have to believe that I knew more about Facebook & Instagram advertising than them.

Me, a self-taught business owner juggling a thousand things, would have to know more about social media marketing than a company who does it every day. They have a team of people with years of experience who focus 100% of their time doing this. Day in and day out. Yeah, I think they know more than me. 

Is it true? If so, what can you do about it? If not, what is reality? 

This final question helps you see the situation for what it is, and provide insight on what to do about it. 

In my case, I knew that hiring the marketing company was the right move.

They had more experience and knowledge than me. Odds were they would get way better results. Furthermore, hiring them would take a big load of my shoulders and free me up to do other things. 

As you probably guessed, I hired them. And it's been a big win for the company!

These questions work with fear in any situation. Whether it's in business, family, athletics, relationships, etc.

What about you? What is it that you fear? Take a few minutes and go through this exercise yourself. 

- Nick Diliberto, Pure Canvas Art