In part one of this series, I talked about what I know about you and anxiety. In this part two, I want to talk about what I believe about anxiety and what I want for you as an entrepreneur. I am not a medical doctor. I am not a psychiatrist.

In this two-part series, I want to talk about anxiety. This is something that we entrepreneurs don’t talk about often. I am going to. This wasn’t easy to write. I stopped myself several times to write something else. It’s got to be done. It’s going to sound a little dark.

The most important thing when it comes to getting the outcomes you want is not so much your goals, but the learning and growth process that happens after the goals are set. Unfortunately, many people are not willing to go through that learning and growth process, and as a result remain stuck in frustration and disappointment.

The biggest mistake you can make in your business and in your life as an entrepreneur is to try and protect yourself from failure. If you want to become who you want to be, you must be willing to fail. If you want to get hired, you must be willing to get fired. If you want to get customers, you must be willing to get rejected.

I believe when it comes to growing your business as an entrepreneur you need to do it in a way that makes people feel safe and secure around you. This is about being an effective leader and exuding great energy and making others feel good around you.

What type of mindset do you have? In a ground-breaking research study conducted by John-Erik Mathisen and Jan Ketil Arnulf at BI Norwegian Business School, there are two mindsets that most aspiring entrepreneurs have, one of which is likely limiting your potential as an entrepreneur.

I have discovered that when it comes to building a successful and thriving business as an entrepreneur, you are your own greatest threat. A great business, a great team, a great life, and a secure future is something you create yourself. The sooner you realize that, the better it is for you.

I used to think passion was enough to grow your business, go through life as a young entrepreneur, and succeed with your team. I was wrong, very wrong. I discovered the hard way that you need strategy. I discovered you need to learn how to lead yourself first before you can lead anyone else.

Being true to yourself as a young entrepreneur is like falling in love. You can’t fake it. You have to be vulnerable. There are no guarantees that the other person will love you back. Some people will love you back and some people will reject you. And that’s ok.