Fear of Losing Control
Fear of Losing Control
You feel anxious and overwhelmed by the prospect of change. You worry and fret that if you follow your heart, you will risk everything—your financial security, your future, even your relationships. When faced with a decision involving change, the worst-case scenario seems to always be your first thought.
When you think about pursuing a entrepreneurial dream, you quickly come to a vision of yourself living on the street after failing miserably.
The Shame Gremlin for this fear says,
“It’s far too risky to expand into my full potential because I will most likely lose everything.”
It tells you that risk far outweighs any reward and to just maintain your status quo and be satisfied with that. It’s much safer to just stay small.
This fear is one in which existing entrepreneurs will find it difficult to scale up or expand their business. They tend to be micro-managers versus visionary leaders, getting bogged down in the minutia of the business and will self-sabotage by insisting on doing everything themselves, eventually burning out.
Here’s a useful technique for easing the anxiety of losing control.
When you feel your negative thoughts spiraling out of control, try forcing them in the opposite direction by imagining an equally grand best-case scenario. This will help to provide a balanced realistic scenario in the end.
For example, rather than fretting over the thought that your new client may fire you, imagine that they are so impressed with your work that they offer you an annual six-figure retainer for the next five years.
Creating a vision journal or board can be very helpful for those afflicted by the fear of losing control. Assembling positive pictures of your future broadens your outlook. Writing, drawing, and pasting in images of best case scenarios can in fact help to rewire those anxious limiting thoughts making you gradually feel happier, more satisfied, and confident about your dreams and goals.
In our new virtual era, where help is literally staring at you in Zoom and at the touch of your fingers tips, finding the right person to help with those business tasks you struggle with, is a no-brainer. There are so many affordable resources available globally and often it’s a win-win for you both.
Give the gift of letting someone else shine their brilliance. Hire people to do what you don’t like to do. Believe it or not, some people absolutely love data entry or social media!
Letting others grow is the first step in growing your business and becoming a visionary leader.