Your best path is a leap into the unknown . . . then another, then another . . .

When you start anything new and big, it feels like a leap into the unknown. In fact, that’s one way you know that what you’re doing matters. Doubt and fear come up. There’s no roadmap you can follow. And you’re not sure it will work. You do it anyway, and you figure it out.

I remember when I bought my first investment property. I had done all of the analysis. I had set aside the cash. I had negotiated the purchase. But when the time came to sign the paperwork, I was terrified. My brain was screaming out to me — DON’T DO THIS. THIS IS A REALLY STUPID INVESTMENT. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! I found myself wishing some freak obstacle would come up at the last moment so I wouldn’t have to go through with the transaction. It felt awful.

Several properties later, I still got a little nervous, but it was nothing like the panic I felt during the first one. I had a template for how to screen investments, and a simple business was running great. My brain calmed down, and transactions, while still interesting, were not scary.

When you’re running a startup, change happens quickly. Every day can be scary.

That’s how it works in many businesses. But that typically is not how it works when you’re the CEO of a high-growth startup. Change happens quickly, so doing the same thing over time doesn’t work.

You may think it will be rainbows and sunshine once you figure out the next challenge. But in fact, if you want your business to evolve — to go from idea to a product, breakeven to money-making, small-scale to large — it’s going to have to be one leap into the unknown after another.

It can feel pretty crummy and scary.

You can always choose not to take those leaps. But if you want to continue to grow, you will have to.

Can you sit with the discomfort and fear, allowing it, recognizing it, feeling it, instead of recoiling?

Tolerating the fear of those repeated leaps into the unknown is what will ensure you’ll keep evolving and that you’ll be the one to make sure your business thrives too. Will you get it right every time? Of course not. But allowing the discomfort will allow you to take action. Taking action will grow your business.

How do you handle the fear? There are many things you can do.

Anticipate it

Your brain will tell you to stop. That’s normal.

But if you can shift your thoughts a little, and anticipate the obstacles and fears that will come up, you’ll recognize them for what they are — the natural tendency we all have to stay with what’s familiar.

Operating in the unknown may be scary, but it won’t kill you.

Recognize it

When you actually get to that place of fear, tell yourself “Oh yes. There’s that fear. I have been waiting for you. And I’m going ahead anyway.”

If you’re able to do that, even for a moment, you’ll be able to interrupt the fear and panic. Sometimes just that small moment of pausing can help you to reset your mindset. Most of us don’t even stop to recognize when we’re panicking. Again, that is perfectly normal.

Allow it

Instead of resisting the fear, hoping it goes away, allow it.

What does allowing fear look like? It means pausing to take stock of how the fear feels. Is it in your body in the form of a knot in your stomach? Is it making your thoughts scattered? Or keeping you distracted? Or leading you to lash out? Or propelling you into unproductive action?

Yes, there it is. That’s what the fear feels like. Hello again.

Don’t resist it

The harder you try to force the fear and anxiety to go away, the stronger it will feel.

Think of your tolerance for fear and anxiety as your passport to growth. There’s no way around those feelings when you’re a startup founder.

Can you instead view fear as a positive — as a signal telling you you’re doing exactly what you should be doing if you and your company are going to change and evolve?

It’s not easy. And it can be emotionally painful. But what if that emotional pain is the worst that can happen?