Today, I’m SO excited to have one of my favorite bloggers sharing some thoughts on taking the leap to start your passion project. I’ve been a huge fan of Alisha’s for a few years now, and think you all will enjoy her insights as much as I do. Alisha is a blogger, consultant and owner of the jewelry brand Early August.
Deciding to take the leap of faith and turn something that you’re genuinely passionate about into a new business can be one of the most exciting & rewarding moments of your life. I can imagine that you’re currently hopeful with a heart full of passion and ready to conquer the world before you. You have the plan & the drive but something is stopping you from taking that first step. Every time you are ready to push forward and actually bring your dream business to reality that little voice pops into your head telling you that it’s either not the right time, this will be too hard for you to do or maybe even try and talk you into giving up all together.
That little voice is FEAR. For many years prior to starting my first business and even after starting, I allowed that little voice to control every aspect of my life, including my big dream of being an amazing entrepreneur. Every time I would get ready to take the first step, I’d come up with another reason why I couldn’t put myself out there. It became crippling and little did I know that listening to my inner fear would prevent me from missing out on a ton of potentially amazing opportunities.
If you struggle with ignoring fear and those thoughts of doubts, I’m here to tell you that it will get better once you realize that fear is only an emotion. It can’t physically harm you but it will stop you from reaching your full potential, especially in business. And the last thing you want is to look back on your life and regret the chances you didn’t take. To get you started in your business & to overcome that fear, here are a few actionable things you can do to kickstart your business TODAY!
STEP 1 – WRITE YOUR BIG VISION
This is an exercise that I have all of my coaching clients do. Writing your vision not only gives you a clear idea of where you want to go which in return helps you set long and short term goals but it also gives you something to look back on when fear begins to get in the way. Write down your vision for your life and business and put it EVERYWHERE.Whenever fear tries to stop you from taking the next step in your business, use it for motivation.
STEP 2 – REALIZE WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK & COME UP WITH A SOLUTION FOR EACH
Getting over fear & moving forward takes a lot more than just trying to simply ignore it. Think about what actions or thoughts hold you back and create a solution for how you can get past each. For example, if when you get ready to start and the thought of “You can’t do this” pops into your mind, try writing down a list of all the reasons why you CAN make it happen. Or if the fear of money is what’s stopping you, think of different ways that you could potentially bring in an extra income while bringing your vision to life.
The first step to moving forward is realizing that what’s holding you back can easily be solved.
STEP 3 – CREATE A LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO LAUNCH OR GROW YOUR BUSINESS.
Getting all of your tasks for your business out of your head and on to paper helps reduce the feeling of overwhelm & helps you get a good idea of exactly where you need to start. Plus it feels amazing to visually see what all you have accomplished. Try listing each item as either a MUST-DO or a TO-DO. A must-do is something that is either going to make you money or will directly affect your business, like registering your domain name or answering that email from a potential new client. A to-do are the smaller business tasks that will help your business but won’t destroy it if you don’t get to it immediately. These are tasks like responding to blog comments or spending time on social media.
STEP 4 – CREATE REALISTIC DEADLINES FOR THE ITEMS ON YOUR LIST
Now take the list you created above and set yourself some deadlines for when you want to have each task completed. To help shorten up your list and get things done quicker, try grouping similar items together & setting one deadline. For example, if you’re looking to sell products online try purchasing your domain and picking your e-commerce platform by one specific date.
STEP 5 – TAKE ACTION
Now that you have your big vision, a list of must-do’s & to-do’s and realistic deadlines, it’s time to make some things happen! With your deadlines in mind, make time daily to tackle your list. Even if you only get something as small as registering your new domain name or creating a Pinterest board for branding ideas, small steps taken are better than none at all.
To help you get through each step, I’ve created a quick printable to help you get started with bringing your business to life starting NOW! Click here to download and start planning.
How did you get past fear to take the first steps in your business? What fear(s) are holding you back the most?
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