We like our comfort zones and strongly resist anything or anybody that will challenge or upset them.  We want our routines of everyday to stay more or less the same and tonight when we get home from work for example (for those who go to work!), we want to mozy into our comfy slippers, flip on the TV or stereo and get dinner cooking.

Anybody or anything, such as an unforeseen emergency or unexpected event that mess with that, and we’re grumpy and unsettled. Face it, we humans are extremely resistant to change…hate it actually.

That’s why it is so crucial to realize the hazard this resistance can pose to your business. Business is all about moving forward, but strange as it may sound, this resistance can actually slow down all your efforts toward improvement and profit.

Facing change in whatever form, inevitably confronts you with the choice of either dealing with it and gaining from the experience, or freezing and losing out. The motive behind failure/unwillingness to deal with change is mostly fear.

Three of the most common ways this fear manifests itself, are briefly discussed below. In each case, the way the fear specifically manifests, some consequences and some remedies are given.  Just note that a full treatment of the subject is impossible due to an obvious lack of space and the help of a professional should be sought if needed.

Fear of man (FOM)

Manifestation:

The thought, albeit unconsciously, “what will the people say/think/do..?” rules all else. People’s opinions /actions become the deciding factor to whether one pursues/does/says…something or not.

Consequences:

• Indecision. Decision making becomes impossible.
• Ineffectiveness. Preoccupation with what others think and losing sight of the real focus result in becoming unproductive.
• Dishonesty. People wear masks because they think it too risky to be themselves. They say/become anything in an effort to fit in and consequently live a lie.

Remedy:

Accept yourself for who & what you are and do not attempt to change anything to fit in with others. Self acceptance frees you from the controlling fear of what others may say, think or do. We can’t expect others to believe in us, if we don’t believe in ourselves.

Fear of failure (FOF)

Manifestation:

Atichyphobia, or FOF, can be very mild with no symptoms. It could also be severe with symptoms like having obsessive thoughts, bad images, chest pains and feelings of terror and can even lead to incapacitation.

It’s often linked with early childhood causes like demeaning parents or siblings, or the trauma of embarrassment resulting in heaped-up fear as childhood progresses. Perfectionism can result and “the person with atichyphobia won’t try until perfection is assured”See (1) below for more info.

Consequences:

• A drop in self-confidence & motivation

• Depression
• Inaction & Apathy – the sufferer is unlikely to try anything new.
• Becoming unproductive
• Curtailed life experience.
• Significant crippling of potential realization.

Remedy:

“The best way to treat FOF is to face the things you fear gradually, accepting that failure is necessary for success. Break the fearful activities down into small, manageable pieces and do more and more of them until you’re relatively comfortable…then move to the next larger fearful step…”  See (1) below.

Fear of the Unknown (FOU)

Manifestation:

It is a rare person that is not apprehensive of the new or unknown. It can evoke “familiar symptoms like rapid heart rate, dry mouth, trembling…anxiety attacks…”

Never forget: you’re not the first or last person to experience this!

Some thinks this fear is inculcated by the restrictions placed on us by our parents for our safety during our growing years. See (3) below for more info.

Consequences:

^“In reality…FOU is one of the most common reasons for resistance… because it stops you taking any action at all.” It goes hand in hand with anxiety, self-doubt and guilt and “operates under the radar convincing you that it’s there to protect… and keep you safe.” See (2) below for more info.

Remedy

Self help techniques are the best way to combat this fear. It can restore lost self confidence and help to build a positive mindset. For more, see (3) below.

*****

Just imagine what havoc and destruction fears like these can unleash on your business!

So, what’s keeping you back? How often don’t we really want to do something and then end up not doing it, because we’re letting fear stand in our way! Fear of what the people will say, fear of the unkown, of  failure of whatever…I say, bunkum! Deal with the fear and…well…just do it!

To great achievement without fear!

*****

Elmarie is a wordpreneur for theEntrepreneurialBusinessSchool(Pty) Ltd and also a freelance creative-, web- and copywriter.

For more info see the following resources:

1.         E-home Fellowship.  Atychiphobia-Fear Of Failure . Accessed 9 February 2012.

    http://www.way2hope.org/Illnesses/atychiphobia-fear-failure.htm

2.         Change-Management-Coach.com. Exposing fear of Change.  Accessed 13 Feb. 2012

    http://www.change-management-coach.com/fear-of-change.html

3. Morpeus Institute, Jan Heering. Do you suffer from fear of the unknown?  Accessed 13 Feb. 2012

     http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/fear-of-the-unknown.html.

 The contest…

Sunlight glinted on the saddle and the deep chestnut hues rippled power. Light played brilliantly on the powerful flanks as the animal readied himself to scale the jump that all others in the competition, less potent than he, leaped with relative ease. This round he would easily win. Triumph was a foregone conclusion.

He approached the jump in a full gallop that would effortlessly lift him over. The crowd on the stands waited with bated breath…

As he leaped, rider tightly positioned, his one front hoof caught the top slat and sent both horse and rider crashing to the muddy earth on the other side. In spite of all his power and looks, he simply could not fly high enough…

A lesser specimen proudly trotted off with the laurels.

*****

 It took time and patient coaching to work on his jumping skills. Later he did best his competition.

He conquered more than a jump. He conquered his fear.

 *****

 The inconvenient (and costly) truth…

You not only witnessed a show jumping contest in the example above, gone horribly out of kilter, but a scenario that repeats itself with numbing results whenever there is any kind of barrier between you and true creative thought.

Barriers to creativity are what keep us from those million dollar ideas that will catapult us into true wealth, creative freedom and significant living. Barriers are costly and often we don’t even know they’re there. Because we’re so frequently unaware of them, we settle for half bred ideas and systems that can (and do!) cost us our businesses and livelihoods.

No mere show jumping hurdles these…

 John Adair, action-centered leadership guru, says the following barriers keep people from being creative [and obviously prospering!]:

Negative attitude

The tendency to focus on the negative aspects of problems dwarfs any search of inherent opportunities.

Fear of failure

 It is the fear of looking foolish or being laughed at. Yet Tom Watson, founder of IBM, said: “The way to accelerate your success is to double your failure rate.” Failure is a necessary condition for success.”¹

Of this fear, Micheal Michalko of Creative Thinking says: “…because we fear failure we [do] not act. We avoid taking action. If we don’t act, we can’t fail. If we are forced to take action, we do not do anything until we have a perfect plan which will take into account any and everything that can happen. We make sure the plan details all the human and material resources you need. We will seek the guidance and direction of every expert and authority we are able to approach. If any [person] expresses the slightest doubt, we will not take the risk of failure and abandon the plan.

… if you don’t take action when you need new ideas in your personal and business lives and do nothing, nothing bad can happen and nothing is the result. In our culture of helplessness, nothing is better than even the slightest chance of failure, because failure means we are worthless.”²

Adair continues…

Executive stress

 Not having time to think creatively. The over-stressed person finds it difficult to think objectively at all. Unwanted stress reduces the quality of all mental processes.

Overwhelmed by rules

 Although rules are necessary, it tends to encourage mental laziness. A tendency to conform to accepted patterns of belief or thought – the rules and limitations of the status quo – hampers creative breakthroughs.

Over-reliance on logic

Investing all available intellectual capital into logical or analytical thinking – the step-by-step approach – excludes imagination, intuition, feeling or humour.

Not challenging assumptions

 Failure to identify and examine the assumptions you make about any situation or problem can be preventative in even trying to find a new way of doing something.

He also mentions lack of a starting point, lack of perspective, lack of motivation, lack of consultation and criticism if given too soon or of the wrong kind.

“The biggest barrier, however,” he says, “is BELIEVING YOU ARE NOT CREATIVE… this barrier really stops people in their tracks from even entering the race… Whatever may or may not have been your self-image in the past, this is an unproven hypothesis about you as far as the future is concerned….”¹

Ami Mattison adds even more barriers to the mix of our creativity struggle. According to her we may struggle with overwhelming emotions such as anger or sadness. Deeply embedded emotions… in our psyches can cause a numbness that disconnects us from our creative impulses and may make creativity painful or even impossible.

Furthermore she says, the drive toward perfectionism keeps “us trapped in fear of failure, and the more we strive for perfection, the more failure and negativity we confront as we crush every nascent or tentative effort to create.” She also lists effects like jealousy, self-pity, creative injury and lost faith as culprits that cull our creative impulses.³

Wow!

Last but definitely not least, Prof Robert Harris adds his voice to the choir when he observes that we are prone to believe that we cannot do something. He gives some inspiring examples that make mash of this false belief: “Who were the Wright brothers that they could invent an airplane? Aviation engineers? No, they were bicycle mechanics. The ball point pen was invented by a printer’s proofreader… not a mechanical engineer.

… innovations in industry almost always come from individuals… outside of the area of the invention…”⁴

He lists more obstacles not mentioned here (lack of space!), so you are encouraged to read his full article.

*****

So, what about you?  Has one or more barriers clipped your creative wings?  Fear not! There is more than enough help available to get you flying once more. Like the horse above, you can conquer & scale any barriers with the right coaching, enough time and patience.

Later we will focus on that help, but first join us next week for a look at the myths we believe about creativity. We also look at the characteristics of the creative person. See you there!

© Elmarie Bouwer

1. Adair, John. Effective Innovation. London 1996, Pan Books
2. Michalko, Michael. The seven deadly sins that prevent people from being creative thinkers. 27 October 2011.  Web 9 February 2012. http://creativethinking.net/articles/2011/10/27/the-seven-deadly-sins-that-prevent-people-from-being-creative-thinkers/
3. Mathison, Amy. When creativity goes away: how to unblock your inner artist. 30 March 2010. Par 8…Web 7 February 2012   http://poetrynprogress.com/2010/03/30/when-creativity-goes-away-how-to-unblock-your-inner-artist-part-1/

4. Harris, Robert. Introduction to creative thinking. VirtualSalt. 1 July 1998. Web.      9 February 2012. http://www.virtualsalt.com/crebook1.htm