When You See What Dale Carnegie Said About Fear, You’ll Start Moving—Fast!

Are you too fearful to succeed?

Fear is the single biggest roadblock that will prevent you from taking risks and without taking risks you can never be an entrepreneur. And, if you think about it, in the final analysis the biggest failure for “entrepreneurs” isn’t a business venture that goes belly up, it’s lacking the will to pursue their vision and then living with the regrets of never knowing what could have been.

In a similar way, if you’re a small business owner, fear can prevent you from pursuing new ventures or shutting down a part of your business that is clearly on its way out and moving on.

The fact is: You can fear yourself right into the failure you so desperately wish to avoid.

How ironic is that?

Almost every successful entrepreneur experiences multiple failures. The statistics I’ve seen indicate that entrepreneurs typically fail three times before they achieve success.

One of the problems we have today is that we hear stories about startups that seem to come out of nowhere and within a few years turn the founders into multimillionaires. This is, in part, a symptom that there are certain elements within the investment community that have overvalued some startups, paying big money for ideas that have shown no real commercial value. This just proves that in addition to smart money, there is dumb money. However, investors wise up quickly and I believe the days of irrational exuberance over the “next big online startup” are in our rearview mirror.

To see your vision come to life or your business grow to the next level, you must overcome your fear, work hard, and maintain your focus.

If you need more than my encouragement and gentle prodding today, mediate on the quotes below.

• If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.– Dale Carnegie
• Limits, like fear, is often an illusion.– Michael Jordan
• Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.– Benjamin Franklin
• America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.– Harry S Truman
• You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.Sammy Davis, Jr.
• My motto is: feel the fear and do it anyway.– Tamara Mellon
• Being aware of your fear is smart. Overcoming it is the mark of a successful person.– Seth Godin
• Willpower is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt, or fear.– Dan Millman