Anxiety Poisons Self-Employed Business Spirit

Anxiety is toxic to body, mind and spirit. It clouds thinking, promotes irrational fear-based decision making, and causes us to contract not just physiologically in our muscles, but to pull back energetically on hopes, dreams, and plans.

From the perspective of attracting clients for your business, this is a period in which we all need to think smarter and be more creative. And that will be a challenge for some who get paralyzed by their fears.

Fear paralysis is a threat to our survival instincts -- the embodied reflex that prompts us to want to escape from danger. But as a biologic response that seeps into our financial and business thinking, it is counter-productive for a self-employed business owner.

This instinctual response leads some to taking rash actions that make things worse, including in some cases to abandon our dreams, sense of personal mission in life, and even to get out of self-employment altogether. What we mistakenly think is taking the safe route, actually prolongs the time we spend in danger.

Financial realities may require taking on some part time work in another field for a while, but I encourage you to not let go of your entrepreneurial dreams forever. Do at least one thing each day that keeps your own business going, no matter how small, or seemingly trivial. That keeps you connected to your goals, and helps maintain the posture of being ready for a comeback when the economy begins to rebound.