There’s a saying – when something’s scary, when you’d rather hide under the duvet than deal with it, when your stomach is doing something unpleasant and every instinct is telling you to put it off – you just have to put on your big girl knickers and get on with it.
It means being brave. Being bold. Doing the scary thing anyway. Not because it stops being scary – it doesn’t, not always – but because the scary thing is usually the thing that actually makes a difference.
The Things We Avoid
You know what I’m talking about. Putting your prices up. Launching that thing you’ve been sitting on for months. Going live on video. Telling that client who always pays late that you’re not going to work with them anymore. Having the conversation about money. Investing in yourself.
We avoid these things because they feel uncomfortable. Because what if it goes wrong? What if people judge us? What if we fail?
But here’s what I’ve learned from working with hundreds of women business owners over the years: the things that scare you are almost always the things that will move your business forward the most.
My Scary Thing
When my marketing agency went bust and I owed £20,000 to the tax office, I had a choice. I could crawl under the duvet and feel sorry for myself (and believe me, I did that for a bit). Or I could pick myself up, dust myself off, and try again.
Starting The Girls Mean Business was terrifying. I’d just had a very public failure. I’d resigned as chairperson of our local business club. I felt stupid. I felt humiliated. I felt ashamed.
But I sat there thinking, well, it can’t get much worse. Let’s just see whether this works.
And it worked. Not because I’m cleverer or more talented than anyone else. But because I did the scary thing. I put myself out there when every fibre of my being was saying “hide”.
Why We Stay In Our Comfort Zone
Your comfort zone is lovely. It’s warm and familiar and nothing bad happens there. The problem is, nothing good happens there either. Growth happens when you step outside of it.
And I’m not talking about bungee jumping or swimming with sharks (although if that’s your thing, fill your boots). I’m talking about the business stuff that makes your palms sweat:
- Charging what you’re actually worth
- Telling your story publicly
- Launching something new before it feels “perfect”
- Asking for the sale
- Saying no to work that doesn’t fit
- Investing in help and support
Every single successful business owner I know has done at least one of these things while absolutely bricking it. The difference between them and everyone else isn’t that they weren’t scared. It’s that they did it anyway.
How To Do The Scary Thing
You don’t have to do everything at once. Pick ONE thing that you’ve been putting off. The thing that you know, deep down, would make a real difference to your business if you just blooming well did it.
Now do it. Today. Not perfectly – just do it. Send the email. Make the call. Press publish. Put your price up.
The fear doesn’t go away before you do it. It goes away AFTER you do it. And then you think, why didn’t I do that months ago?
That’s the big girl knickers moment. And once you’ve had one, you want more. Because doing scary things and surviving? That’s what builds real confidence. And real businesses.
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