Day 8

Rest Day. In the first week of the Get Clients Now! program, you may have encountered two of the biggest obstacles to marketing success: fear and resistance. If looking at some of the items on your Daily Actions list made your stomach flutter or your throat get tight, that was fear. If you found yourself thinking, “Yuck,” “Not me,” or “Not now,” and digging in your heels, that was resistance. Know that you are not alone in these feelings. You may not hear other folks talk about this at the Chamber of Commerce, but most people feel afraid, resistant, or both, about certain elements of marketing.

Identifying the source of these feelings and why you have them is beyond the scope of this book. What you need now is to get past them in order to be successful—and you can! The first step in removing these roadblocks is to recognize they exist; then, be specific about their nature. Answer these questions now:

1. What are you afraid of? Being rejected? Making a mistake? Failing? Succeeding (and not knowing how to deal with it)? Looking silly? Write down as many different fears as you can. If you feel stuck, ask yourself, “What do I think would happen if I …” and complete the sentence with whatever Daily Actions are giving you trouble—perhaps “… went to a live networking event?” or “… made a cold call?”

2. What are you resisting? Doing the perhaps-not-your-favorite work of marketing? Talking about your abilities and experience? (Maybe it feels like bragging.) Spending time on marketing when you have other urgent priorities? Finish this sentence in your best whining, annoyed, or stubborn voice, “I don’t want to …”

Now that these barriers are out in the open, ask yourself if you are going to let them stop you. They don’t have to, you know. You can feel afraid yet move forward; you can feel resistant yet still do what you are resisting. The next time you are having trouble, notice what you are feeling, and choose whether to let it keep you from taking action. Say to yourself, “Oh, there’s the fear again,” or “Wow, I’m really feeling resistant right now,” and then keep going.

Thought for the day: Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to take action while feeling afraid.