“…but I’m afraid,” you might say.

I get it; I’m afraid of some things in the news, too.  With all the current events swirling around us – fear is a prevalent emotion.

Do you find yourself being afraid of the things beyond your control?  Or are you fearful of attempting things well within your grasp, only to experience a less-than-desirable outcome (aka: failure)?

If fear of failure is holding you back.  You have only one acceptable solution.

Get in motion.

“If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it.  Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie

Take “one small step for man” on the path toward your goal.  Evaluate it.  Did it work? Great!  Success builds confidence to take the next step.  Did it not work?  OK.  Failure brings insight, and insight, when applied, brings improvement.

Brad Martineau, founder of the Sixth Division marketing automation company, poses two questions whenever a client is stymied by fear and indecision.  Really, it’s the same question asked twice with different emphasis:

What can I do right now?   What can I do right now?

In the first query, you brainstorm all possible strategies and tactics to address a problem or opportunity.

In the second, you pare the list down to only the steps that can be accomplished in the next 5 minutes.  And here’s the most important part; do them.  That’s where the “right now” language becomes paramount.

If you feel yourself procrastinating, waffling, worried, frustrated or frightened in any way…ask yourself, “What can I do right now?”.  Then do it.

Perhaps you’ve heard the old saw, “The map appears when the car is in motion.”

You will never have all the information needed to complete a big project before you begin.

Start the process with a clear direction in mind, supported with the data that’s available to you now, and take the first step.  You will find that each new step reveals more of the missing information that made you hesitant in the past.

You will become more confident.  You will greatly increase your odds of succeeding.  You will find more courage to persist, despite the risk of failure.

I have several friends in Florida.  Some evacuated ahead of Hurricane Irma.  Some stayed at or near home.  One even had to stay put while the rest of her family traveled to Virginia, because she works in the news media.

All faced their fears.

None of them sat and deliberated until after the storm passed while failing to decide what to do.

I guess huge natural disasters have a way of forcing you into action.

As an entrepreneur and small business owner, seize every day.  Don’t sit idle all day.  Do something.  The marketplace will judge you by what you accomplish, not what you’ve intended to do or wished would happen.

I have said for 14 months, “I am going to write a book.”  In the past two months, I’ve doubled down, “I’m going to write that book before the end of this year.”

Do you know what I haven’t done?  I haven’t written Page One.

Here’s my confession and call for accountability:  Before the next blog comes out on September 21, I will write Page One.

Here’s what I know about writing.  The more I do it, the easier it gets.  Page One leads to completing Chapter One…and so on.

What can I do right now?

Commit to be held accountable. Start organizing stories and anecdotes.  Make an outline.  Think of chapter titles.  Research some supporting statistics.  Start writing.

What can I do right now?

Commit to be held accountable.

See how that works?

You may or may not like what I’m going to write on Page One.  The fear of what you think cannot stop me from taking the first step.  My commitment to finishing this book must outweigh concern over what critics may say once it’s published.

That’s how I choose to overcome being afraid.

What will you do…right now?