We’ve all had those moments where we say to ourselves, “That’s such a great business idea, I should do that!” or “That’s such a great investment, I should buy that!” And then shortly thereafter, the self-doubt and excuses creep in.

“I’m not really capable of running a business.” “It’s too risky.” “What if nobody else likes it?” “What if I make a mistake?”

And the idea is gone, withered away before it even had a chance to sprout. Why do we make these excuses? Because we are afraid.

Fear has it’s place. It is meant to protect, to keep us from the unknown, and to minimize our risk. Our species exists because we are afraid, it is the only thing that could have kept us alive for thousands of years. However, we also have the ability to control our fear, and to overcome it and prove to ourselves that so things aren’t so scary after all.

In business, fear can be crippling. It can prevent a company from ever being born, but it can also stunt a business already in existence. So many small business owners allow their business to stay small because they are afraid. They are making a little bit of money and it’s paying the bills, so they decide to take the ‘safe’ road and not change anything. What if they make a change and it all falls apart?

Living in fear, some of these small business owners are missing out on a whole world of opportunity. Like a child peeking out from behind his mother’s legs at the playground, deciding it’s safer there, they miss out on all of the new and exciting things they could be learning and doing. Don’t be that child.

If you are afraid to adjust and expand and grow, you are allowing the other companies in your industry to dictate whether you survive or fail. If they decide to face their fears and move forward, then that means you are continuously moving backward, which makes you doomed to fail anyways.

So face your fears and take the leap, make those changes in your business and see where the ride takes you!