Fear Doesnt Stop Me
Appearances can be so deceptive. We might look calm and collected on the outside, but underneath, our nerves and fears may be running riot. We all have our own hurdles that we need to ‘get over.’ Too often, our fears—whether rational or not—either prevent us from doing something or make it incredibly difficult. For me, a fear of water meant that even the shallow end of a swimming pool was nerve-racking, until I was able to finally control the fear and with the help of friends, learn to swim.
The trigger to make me do that was an innocuous comment from my son, asking me to join him at the deep end of the pool, something I simply could not do. That feeling of inadequacy as a parent was the catalyst I needed to put some serious effort into conquering my fear so that I could join him in the deep end. It took the best part of a year and the help of two good friends to get there, but when I did, it felt incredible diving, jumping (even the odd bomb when the lifeguard wasn’t looking… shhh), and, above all, seeing my son smiling and laughing, having a blast.
Another fear of mine is heights, so I was really chuffed when Jules volunteered me for a charity parachute jump. If you watch the video, you can see the fear in my eyes. I was just able to push the rational part of my brain front and centre rather than letting the irrational part scream, “Nooooo!” I’m so pleased I went through with it because the experience was superb.
For Jules, her fear was being in front of a camera—whether a regular camera, a mobile phone or a video camera. Did it stop her from doing things? No, of course not, but it made certain tasks much more stressful than they needed to be and even threatened one of the biggest moments in her career.
Fear Doesn’t Stop Me
Early in 2015, Jules was asked to be on a panel of experts by Facebook at their first European Business Bootcamp. The thought of being on stage in front of a couple hundred people, sharing her experience of using Facebook, wasn’t an issue for her. What they also wanted, however, was to film Jules and create a video case study about how Facebook was used in The Last Hurdle and how it had helped the business.
For many, being filmed in your own office might seem far easier than standing on a stage in London. But for Jules, it was the opposite. That’s when she turned to friends and colleagues for help, in particular using a simple hypnosis technique to manage stressful situations. The results were amazing—a calm, professional businesswoman going about her day and talking to the camera in a way that inspired others to use social media for their businesses. It even resulted in Jules being asked back by Facebook for future events.
Did the fear stop Jules? No. With the assistance of others, she overcame her fear of being filmed and photographed and enjoyed an incredible experience thanks to Facebook. Since that day, she has found it much easier to be photographed in a variety of situations.
Getting over our individual Last Hurdles isn’t so difficult when we don’t try to do it alone. As Bill Withers once said, ‘We all need somebody to lean on.’
Hopefully, this just goes to show that we all have fears—none of us wear our underpants on the outside—but those fears don’t need to stop us. For many, bringing in new business is a frightening task. The word “sales” can send people into a panic, and the thought of asking for an order can cause cold sweats. You don’t have to do this alone. We are here to help you over your Last Hurdle.
Article by The Last Hurdle Franchisee Dr Trevor Ray
