Let start this journey together. I do not know how many parts this article have so we will see together. I give this title “From anxiety to entrepreneurship skills”, because not one or two successful entrepreneurs fought with anxiety, which means being an entrepreneur can work well as an anxiety management tool. Maybe this thinking is a bit unorthodox for some, but not everyone need to think like me, so if you do not like this thinking just please stop to read this and read a novel or watch Tom & Jerry.
Obviously we are not on the same page.
Topics
The topics I will write about in this and the upcoming articles are the following:
- What is anxiety?
- Why a lot of people end up from the worst anxiety to be the most successful entrepreneur?
- What are enterpreneurial skills?
- How overworrying and stress can “help” an entrepreneurial journey?
- How can you manage stress throughout the journey?
- How to overcome on the fear of failure?
- How to manage your anxious energy and transform it into creative one?
- Why finding your purpose: “your why”, goal-setting, and finding your support network can help?
- How developing resilience and finding professional help is helpful on your journey too?
Next to this I will write about
- how to navigate your way to success meanwhile managing and balancing out your work and life.
And the most important
- how to build a (thriving) business meanwhile I will write about this topic…
Anxiety and entreprenurship
Building a business is hard, work, a lot of testing, trying and adapting, but what can be more difficult than building a business?
- Living with anxiety is one of that example.
Managing your overworried state all the time, balancing out is a kind of art. Without business too.
- What if there is a way out or more like a way, where living with anxiety can be a kind of positive way and energy which can motivate you?
For example to build a business. To be busy and this being busy state will have a positive outcome.
Maybe that can be a way to fight effectively or just not thinking about your stressors, because in one hand that makes you busy, and on the other hand it can create success.
And failures too, but at least you might get used to it.
The sense of urgency
If you are anxious you have a sense of urgency too, not the kind of urgency which passes. No, that kind of urgency stay with you and you need to do always something, which make you feel better.
This urgency in a normal life might make your life unbearable, but in an entrepreneurial journey it is a blessing, because you always can do something, and have to do something. And if you have a good plan, like a good business plan and you can go through and implement this plan and have a bit of luck too, then there will be successes too along your journey.
Doing things regarding those plans will help you to have successes and success might motivate you to get further, and do other things too.
There is a lot of adapting, and a lot of failures too, but there will be motivation and success too. So it is something I would recommend to at least try if you have anxiety, even if it not happens in a way you planned out, you learn a lot from this journey.
You will be much more resilient, since this journey is your journey, and you might need just some knowledge and skills to find out why you had previously anxiety and how to overcome on this.
I am not saying everyone who read this article will be a successful entrepreneur or everyone should try to be one of them, what I am trying to say this journey might enlighten that
- learning some skills, and
- trying out new things, and
- adapting to unplanned things will enlighten you that the anxiety you had could be because the fear of failure in the future was bigger than it should have to be and fearing overstressed you.
Entrepreneurship and adapting
However, in reality or at least in the business environment adapting needed, because that guaranteeing survival. Failures and successes will be along your journey and you have to get used to it that not everything will happen as you have planned out or wanted. This will help you to
- understand how this works,
- strengthen your resilience,
- motivate you on your own journey, and
- realize your life is not as bad as you think, because being an entrepreneur is much more difficult than you think first and
- you will/might be grateful you do not have to be one if you do not want to be.
That is the freedom of choice.
I am not always going into the extremism, but sometimes you need to realize it can be worse, to be able to see your situation is not as bad as you think so.
So if you are ready then read about entrepreneurship a bit and learn some new skills, which might help you later in life and definitely can help you to manage anxiety at least a bit better than previously.
Anxiety
What is anxiety?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA),
I will refer back to official sources several times
“Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.
- People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns.
- They may avoid certain situations out of worry.
- They may have physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness, or a rapid heartbeat.
This emotion “anxiety is not the same as fear, but they are often used interchangeably.
Anxiety is considered a future-oriented, long-acting response broadly focused on a diffuse threat, whereas fear is an appropriate, present-oriented, and short-lived response to a clearly identifiable and specific threat.
Aka anxiety is more like
- a fear from the future,
- a fear from several WHAT IFs.
- A fear from things, which never happened and likely they will not happen.
Those WHAT IFs not even happened, but a person already in the state of fearing from it. So if you do not want to fear from the future, you might need to try to test out your hypothesis regarding the future.
What if I lose my job?
Well, do not lose your job but try to live with the least possible money and find out how can you live like this.
What if anything happen and how I will act?
Well, try out what would happen.
The reality is there is always have a solution, even if you do not see now, if you are in a need you will be very creative and you will find this out.
So if anything happen you will find out everything for that. We humans usually fear from the future, and from things we have and might lose it, and worrying about things which never happened and never will, so let’s do the opposite and find out.
What if I try to be an entrepreneur but I fail in that?
First of all,
Nothing….
You learned a way what did not work out. That will certainly happen. The bigger question what if you will be successful?
Secondly,
you might not lose that much, if you are not a big risk-taker you will not lose everything, however if you are a big risk-taker try not to lose everything, aka not losing your house, job and life if possible.
Start small, then build it up.
If you start small and build it up it might takes more time, but maybe you learn a lot more on the journey. Obviously I am not your mom, and dad to tell you what to do, and most people on Earth not doing what their mom and dad expect, so do whatever you feel good to do, and take only calculated risks.
What is calculated risk?
Calculated risk refers to a decision or action taken after careful consideration of the potential benefits and drawbacks. It involves weighing the potential risks and benefits associated with a particular course of action and making an informed decision based on that analysis.
Calculated risk-taking is often associated with entrepreneurship and business, where the decision to invest in
- a new product or
- market requires a careful evaluation of potential risks and rewards.
In this context, taking calculated risks involves weighing the potential financial and strategic benefits against the potential downsides, such as
- the possibility of losing money or
- damaging the company’s reputation.
For example
In personal life, calculated risk-taking can involve decisions like
- buying a house or
- making a career change,
- starting a business etc.
It is not about taking reckless risks but rather making an informed decision that is based on careful analysis and an understanding of the potential risks and benefits involved.
These are based on
- a careful evaluation of the potential outcomes and
- balancing the potential benefits against the potential risks.
Starting small is a good idea, because even if you lose things you tried out and saw what not worked, but you see things too, which might have potential to work out well if you would have more resources, or you learn new skills etc. etc.
In the next article from this topic we will write more about the “sense of urgency”, the fear of the future, which can help entrepreneurs to officially DO something about it, be creative and how to overcome on the fear of failures, as this will determine how to fight with things regarding the future and anxiety.
Learning trying and failing
These are all important parts of personal growth and development and part of all entrepreneur’s journey.
How is that look like?
“Oh, I have a new idea”,
- make a new plan,
- try out and
- usually you fail, or sometimes you succeed. Most of the time not, but then you are trying again.
These components play a role. Each of them and with each other in an interconnected way.
Learning
The foundation of personal growth.
It involves acquiring new knowledge and skills through various sources, such as
- reading,
- attending classes or
- workshops, and
- listening to others.
Learning is essential because it allows us to expand our understanding of the world, challenge our assumptions, and explore new ideas.
Trying
It involves taking action based on what we have learned. It requires
- putting our knowledge and skills into practice,
- taking (calculated) risks, and
- experimenting with different approaches.
Trying is important because it allows us to test our assumptions and ideas, discover new opportunities, and gain valuable experience.
Failing
A natural part of the learning process. It involves
- making mistakes,
- experiencing setbacks, and
- encountering obstacles.
While failing can be uncomfortable and challenging, it is an essential part of personal growth because it provides
- valuable feedback and
- teaches us resilience, persistence, and adaptability.
Learn how to fail
People hate to fail, and lose. Some people take less risk in the fear of failure or losing, obviously that means they sometimes just pass on opportunities, because they have no idea that failure is the part of the personal development process.
However, other might take too much risks, because they do not have experiences what is too much or too less.
No one was born with perfect entrepreneurial skills, so start to learn how to fail, and if you need then fail fast. Failing is better than not failing, because at least you have tried, and learned from it.
Some tips how to have a healthy relationship with failure
Change your mindset
Instead of seeing failure as a negative outcome, view it as an opportunity for growth and learning. Recognize that failure is an essential part of the learning process and it provides valuable feedback that can inform future efforts.
Take calculated risks
It involves weighing the potential benefits and drawbacks of a particular course of action and making an informed decision based on that analysis as I wrote in the previous paragraph. By taking calculated risks,
- you can minimize the potential negative consequences of failure while
- still pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.
Reflect on your failures
This can help you gain valuable insights into what went wrong and what you can do differently next time. Take some time to
- journal,
- meditate, or
- talk with others about your failures,
and use this reflection to inform future efforts.
Seek feedback
Seeking feedback from others can provide
- valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses and
- help you identify areas for improvement.
Be open to constructive criticism and use it as a learning opportunity rather than a personal attack.
Practice self-compassion
Failing can be tough on our self-esteem, so it’s important to practice self-compassion.
Treat yourself with
- kindness and understanding, and
- recognize that failure is a natural part of the learning process.
Celebrate small wins
It can help you stay motivated and focused on your goals. By recognizing your progress, you can build confidence and resilience that will help you bounce back from failure.
Learning how to fail is a process that
- takes time and
- practice
by accepting these tips you can cultivate a healthy relationship with failure and use it as a tool for growth and development.
If you are interested more how to manage anxiety as an entrepreneur read more about it here.