Can you imagine working a job where the primary daily task caused overwhelming fear and the occasional panic attack?  That’s exactly what I did for seven long years.

I was an executive recruiter who was expected to call high-ranking executives (who were not looking for work, of course) to recruit them for a specific position.  The problem was, I had a crazy irrational fear of talking on the phone. I didn’t even like to call my local restaurant to order take-out.  Just looking at the phone sent a wave of nausea through my body.  Yet I returned to that job every day hoping that I would eventually figure out what “I wanted to do when I grew up.”

Fear is a funny thing. You become incredibly creative how to avoid it and as a result become incredibly inefficient.  I would arrive obscenely early to the office. I would call people knowing I’d get their voicemail. I would figure out their email address and email them my pitch instead. I worked longer hours than most of my peers just so I could avoid making phone calls.

However in all the tactics you use to avoid your fears, you make them grow stronger.  It’s a vicious self-fulfilling circle of madness.

Flash forward ten years.

I long since left my company and had dramatically switched careers.  In 2013, I decided to fulfill a dream of mine which was to write a book. I discovered the topic which was centered on women entrepreneurs and the role that role models played on their lives and work.  I decided to interview over 100 women for this project in order to get a solid sampling of many different stories and backgrounds.

Then one day I realized that my goal of interviewing 100 women meant calling each of them on the phone.

Wow.  I was now face-to-face with my fears but unlike last time, I had the courage to move through them.

3 factors that help you overcome the most stubborn of fears:

Passion

We all have something we’re passionate about.  If you can key into that passion and bring it to the forefront of your mind it will help quiet the fear-based inner chatter. I have an overwhelming passion for helping women business owners and entrepreneurs and I had a strong passion to write and publish a book before I turned forty. The two collided beautifully.  These passions were much bigger than my fears.

Purpose

I knew that the project itself was bigger than just me. I was entrusted with the stories and insights from many women doing great work in the world.  I knew that what I discovered would impact other lives as well.  The sense of purpose for what I was doing and the impact it would have not only on my life but on the lives of others, pushed fear firmly aside.

Practice

I won’t lie.  There was a bit of hyperventilating followed by a lot of positive self talk to prep me for the first few dozen calls.  But with each call, it got easier.  Each call was increasingly smoother and more natural.  By the fiftieth phone call I felt like a pro.  And now, a year after I wrapped up the project, I still feel comfortable getting on the phone with people I don’t know to share my latest venture. In fact, I don’t even think about it any longer.  Fear has been replaced by a calm excitement.

So what in your life is holding you back from launching a business or following a passion?  Does fear have you in a strong hold?  There are ways to loosen its grasp on you to free you to chase after any dream you can imagine.  Often it just takes a whole lot of practice.

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February 2015 Issue