What you don’t know—and are too afraid to learn—will hold you back in business and life.
I have a great dad, who I appreciate even more now that I’m an adult. When I was a kid, he used to do things that embarrassed me, like asking random strangers questions about what they were doing or how things worked. But, as an adult, I now see so much value in his willingness to ask about the things he is interested in learning about. I have witnessed firsthand how it benefits him time and time again.
Here’s one small example. Excuse the gray skies and snow; this picture is from that crazy Christmas snowstorm.
Years ago, my dad got interested in windmills. He wanted to build one for the property. At least once, he pulled over on the side of the road to talk to someone about the windmill they had in their yard. Who does that?
The answer to that question is… someone who wants to learn everything they can to accomplish what they want to do.
My dad wanted to build a windmill in his yard. So he talked to people who already did it. He didn’t let fear of asking questions stop him. He didn’t let fear of looking like he didn’t know what he was doing stop him. And he didn’t let pride get in his way.
I believe he wouldn’t have this windmill today if he were too afraid to seek the answers and information he needed from those more experienced.
Do you see where this is going?
Are you letting fear stop you from reaching your business goals?
You probably aren’t trying to build a windmill. But you are trying to grow a business. There are so many ways business owners and leaders allow fear to stop them from getting the information and help they need.
- Not admitting they don’t understand the business numbers and reports
- Failing at delegation because they won’t ask someone to show them the right way
- Working long hours because they’re afraid of asking for help with time management
- Trying to do it all on their own because they don’t know where to ask for help
We so badly want people to think we have it “all figured out” that we hold ourselves back from getting the help we need. We allow pride to stop us from asking questions. And we shut out the experts who could help for fear of looking stupid in front of them.
Why?
I think it’s because we allow fear to be the loudest voice in our heads. It gets so loud that it drowns out the common sense thinking that lets us know everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s okay if we don’t know it all from the start.
It’s time to conquer fear so you can grow
Where are you struggling in your business? Where are you pretending you know the answers when deep down, you know you’re only guessing?
Once you know these areas, identify the steps you can take to learn what you need to know.
Hire a coach that can break down the numbers for you. Ask another business owner what steps they took to make their first hire. Look for people who have already done what you want to do, and then ask them questions.
Don’t let your fear get in the way of your growth.
If you don’t know where to start, let SPEARity help you take inventory of where you are and create a plan to get you where you want to go. Call us today to learn more about coaching options.
