Overcoming Fear of Taking Risks in Business

One of the critical aspects of being an entrepreneur is overcoming fear of taking risks in business.

Today’s post comes from the inspiration of one of my favorite excerpts concerning risk-taking, and I’m sure will motivate you to reach out and take those calculated risks your business deserves to thrive.  It comes from the late author of the book “Risking,” among other books, Dr. David Viscott,

“If you cannot risk, you cannot grow.

If you cannot grow, you cannot become your best.

If you cannot become your best, you cannot be happy.  If you cannot be happy, what else matters?

All you can be is what you are.

All you own is what you experience.

All you are is what you are aware of now.

To live in ignorance of yourself is to be incomplete.  You cannot take strength from the good parts of yourself you do not know.

If you want to see the world most clearly, turn your eye inward before you look about…” – Dr. David Viscott

So sure I’ve gotten “deep” today (smile).

Like the Flickr photo above, many small business owners fear going beyond a certain point.  In short, you and I fear taking risks in business oftentimes because we fear the unkown.  We think, “well what if things go wrong” or “what if it just doesn’t work out?”  We just don’t want to fail.

The greatness in the quote by Dr. David Viscott is that your growth in business, and in life, REQUIRES risk-taking. Risk taking is essential to growth.

If you don’t risk you stay in your dreaded comfort zone.  When you remain in your comfort zone you do the ordinary tasks you perform and don’t find ways to reinvent yourself and your business.

The gut of this quote is that you must be in the NOW – the present.  Don’t think of all the “what ifs” that have not even taken place.  Live in the present and:

• Think of the possibilities
• Devise an action plan
• Take Action

Personal development and motivation blogger Tina at Think Simply Now states in her 6 Steps to Deflate Self-Defeating Fears:

It is so easy to get caught up in the artifacts of our own mind. Our mind’s job is to keep us the same, and thus to instill fear in us to pursue goals outside our comfort zone. This is natural and instinctual. We all experience it. But for anyone who’s achieved what they really wanted, they’ve learned to move beyond it. 

The essential step towards taking calculated risks in your business is to move beyond the fear and just do it.

Whether or not the action you take is the best possible action, realize that the more action you take the more you will realize what tweaks you have to make along the way.  Without taking risk you will simply never know.

Taking calculated risk in your business is the key to moving forward in your small business. – Dali B

The heart of Dr. David Viscott’s quote also touches on the the importance of personal growth and development in business as well as in your personal life.

If you do not become a better you and discover parts of yourself you would not normally know, except by risking, you stay stuck in the very same place you are.

Taking calculated risk in your business endeavors will allow you to discover new boundaries and successes.

Taking Action to Overcome the Fear of Risk: What one thing in your online marketing have you been thinking about exploring but have been fearful to explore?  What one thing can you do today to start stretching out of your comfort zone and moving beyond those imaginary boundaries?  Go for it!  The more risks you take the more of yourself you’ll discover and the more success you’ll find.

About The Author

Dali Burgado, also known as "The Dali Blogger" teaches creative entrepreneurs how to carve a web presence that connects with their Inner Guru and their target audience. Her first online marketing love is SEO. She's an avid connector on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. When she's not coaching or teaching, she's tweaking sites for Search Engine Visibility, working on her PHP and Javascript coding skills, Singing Opera, or learning about gardening. Circle Dali on Google+