How often do we get excited about a new idea or a creative concept, only to be paralyzed by fear? Fear so big that it stops us dead in our tracks. After working with many female entrepreneurs and leaders, it’s clear to me that the number one thing that trips us up most often is fear and anxiety.
But here’s the truth: How we handle fear is precisely what separates the mediocre leader from the incredibly successful leader. This doesn’t mean successful leaders are never afraid. But they don’t let their fear lead.
As followers of Christ, seeking to do His work, we cannot be held captive by fear. We have to understand that if He has called us to it, He will carry and sustain us through it.
Here are three ways that can help eliminate fear so that we can be about His work:
Purify your intentions.
We’ve heard the saying “it’s the thought that counts,” but I want to take the business version of that and apply it here for us today: It’s your intentions that matter!
When you’re making a tough decision or moving forward on a big project, you have to stop and ask yourself: what do I genuinely want to see come of this? Am I looking for a monetary reward, OR are am I looking to expand how generous I can be? Am I looking for recognition from the world, OR am I looking to point the world to Jesus?
Success isn’t what we should be worried about; it’s obedience that we need to get right.
Pure intentions are a result of obedience, and proper obedience will always guarantee us the right kind of success.
Be bold in prayer.
As business women, we are used to wearing multiple hats and compartmentalizing several areas of our life. However, we need to understand that prayer is not a hat to wear or a separate folder to store in the file cabinet.
We are really good at praying for our kids, our spouses, and maybe a few others, but often times, we stink at praying for our businesses. It’s no wonder if feels like we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. When we don’t pray bold prayers over our business, we can’t expect God to do bold things in and through our business.
Just as a parent comforts their child that wakes up terrified after a nightmare, God is ready to comfort you when fear begins to take over. But we have to be in communication with Him for that comfort to take place!
Pray those big bold prayers over your business. Pray for your team and your clients. Pray over your social media content and your email blast. When you make prayer the priority, God will take you and your business further than you could ever imagine.
Patiently prepare.
One of the biggest things I hate about fear is the way it convinces us that it would be better idea to quit before we try rather than risk failure.
A mistake we can easily make (especially as passionate entrepreneurs) is to jump head first into a project without doing the upfront work. When God opens a door for us, or lays an opportunity in our path, we should most definitely pursue it, but we also have to do our part in preparing for it. God honors preparation. He also never promised overnight success in anything.
But patience alone isn’t enough. We can’t just sit back and wait for God to do all of the heavy lifting. We have to pitch in too! He doesn’t need us, of course, but He graciously invites us to be a part of His work.
Please don’t be tempted to quit before you even get started! Be patient, do all that you can to be prepared, and then wait on the Lord to do what only He can do!
As always, the she works His way team is rooting for you, as you follow God’s call on your life. We’d love to invite you to be a part of our community. Learn more about becoming a she works His way member here.
