Halloween is right around the corner. The spirit of the season offers a surprisingly valuable principal for running a business. As business leaders, we should transform fears into thrills. Here are four tips to reframe your thinking and turn workplace fears into motivations.

1. Embrace Challenges

Being challenged can lead to feelings of intimidation. We’ve all felt pressure to meet high expectations and produce strong results, and while challenges can be scary, they are also opportunities to rise to the occasion. 

Consider the last time you successfully completed a work project that initially intimidated you. Whether you met your sales target or received minimal edits on a business plan, you likely felt a great sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

The reality is that challenges can be fun and fulfilling. They are opportunities to prove to yourself and your team that you are capable of anything. Rather than being intimidated, you should welcome and embrace new challenges head on.

Starting a business is the perfect example of embracing a challenge rather than succumbing to fears. At The UPS Store, we help people achieve their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur and have the pleasure of witnessing their evolution. While making this leap can be scary, the rewarding feeling that comes with owning a business makes it all worth it for our retail owners. 

4. Learn from Failures

The thought of failing can be scary, but I encourage everyone to rethink their definition of failure. If you make a mistake or take a shortcoming and learn from it, that should not be considered a failure. Instead, these are growth opportunities. And growth is exciting. 

It’s unlikely you’re doing everything right the first time and not making any mistakes, and if you are, there’s an even better chance that you’re in a state of boredom and complacency. The reality is that good things can come from making mistakes. Mistakes keep us on our toes and can lead to greater success.

3. Be Present

It’s common to fear the uncertainty that comes with the future. Many of us have a habit of envisioning an ideal outcome and zeroing in on it. Goals are important but when we focus too much on an outcome, we often stress ourselves out rather than living in the moment.

It can be easy to let fear settle in and imagine scenarios in which a deliverable is not met. While you should always do your best to meet deliverables, it is important to be present rather than dwell on hypothetical shortcomings.

Being present with your work lessens the burden of stress and creates a healthier mindset for you to enjoy and deliver quality work. Rather than being dictated by fear, living in the moment allows you to find thrill and excitement in your projects. Leaders should encourage team members to focus on the work itself rather than focusing solely on a desired outcome. As a result, you’ll see greater success. 

4. Always be Learning

As a The UPS Store franchising leader, I’m passionate about developing other leaders and providing them with opportunities to learn and grow. My work allows me to understand the importance of challenging individuals to take on new and different experiences even if it makes them uncomfortable. 

We have all been tasked with trying something new or exploring an area that we don’t know anything about. Rather than feeling anxious or scared, I encourage people to find excitement and embrace the mentality that learning leads to better opportunities and self-growth.

If you are looking to better yourself and profession, don’t let your fears hold you back. Overcoming our fears not only allows us to grow as professionals, but also helps us to find thrill and passion in our work.

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