Even the most confident recruiters can sometimes encounter an area where they get  stuck and can’t figure out the best decision to make to move forward or let their fears rule.

Even though I am a Black Belt Martial Artist, I still experience gripping fear like anyone else in new situations on a regular basis. Fear of rejection, fear of trying new things, fear of failure and the list goes on and on. The difference between success and failure is not the fear itself but how we manage our fears. When we face them instead of running from them, we build confidence and resilience even when the outcomes are not always positive.

And what about all the nagging small decisions or even large work or life decisions that we can put off indefinitely with a range of clever excuses to fool ourselves or others because we are afraid of failure or change. Getting unstuck and making decisions in any problem areas of our life can be incredibly exhilarating and create more passion in our work and lives regardless of the initial outcome. Inevitably some of our decisions will not turn out the way we expected but regardless of “success” or “failure”, taking action in an area of discontent will lead to eventual success and higher billings as a recruiter!!.

Whether  you are afraid to call on “C level clients, ask for more retainers, grow your recruitment firm or can’t get yourself to narrow down your niche, here are some great tips to overcome your fear so you can take action for a better and more successful future and billings:

1.       Accept your fear. It is easy to ignore or deny our fears, but the most courageous warriors admit to fear and the key is to face it and then work to overcome it. By owning your feelings you’ve taken the first step toward gaining control over the situation.

2.       Probe deeper. Ask yourself probing questions as to why your fear is stopping you from taking action in an area of your life. Try to learn the origin of your fear to better understand why it has a control over your ability to make a decision. What triggers your fear? How does your fear affect you physically, mentally and emotionally? Think of the worse- case scenario if you take action to overcome your fear and it back fires. Can you live with that? Now think of the consequences of NOT taking action. Can you live with that?

3.       Imagine a positive outcome. Now that you accept and understand your fear better, think about what exactly you want to change and why from an objective stand-point. What do you have to gain by making a positive change. Write down the desired outcomes and then spend time to visualize the positive action that will lead you to where you want to go with success.

4.       Keep the Momentum going- It takes a certain amount of momentum to deal with fear. When you’re faced with setbacks it can be tempting to decide to give up. Write down concrete action steps that will start the process of change for example that  you will research 10 new companies that are of interest and write your script to contact the CIO for an introduction or finally post a job description to hire new staff if you want to grow your revenues. You already have your big goal set and now it is important to set smaller concrete goals to help you get there.

5.       Resist the temptation to hope things turn out for the best and leave it up to fate. Don’t let other people hold you back. Take action even when you are scared. Sometimes you just have to take a big jump into the unknown. No matter how much research you do to prepare for a change, there will always be some areas where the mystery will remain until you take the plunge and commit to the new experience, client, relationship etc.

 In order to feel the exhilaration of being fully engaged in our work and life, we need to take some risks. When we aim for new skills, better job orders or new beginnings in any area, we take bold steps to a better leader and wiser person. With thoughtful persistent effort, the wind will blow our sails to the new promised land.  When we get comfortable with getting “uncomfortable”, we grow as human beings and start to conquer our fears easily!!

 “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” 

~ Johan Wolfgang von Goethe

Patricia Conlin is a successful recruitment firm owner, Speaker, and Coach. A passion for health and leadership development led her into international public speaking and coaching. Conlin is a Certified EI Trainer, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Black Belt Martial