Uncontrolled emotions are one of the main factors that can cause normal, educated, intelligent people to make all the wrong decisions. During emotional stress, you can make decisions that you otherwise would never have considered.
There are three main emotions that can significantly influence the decisions we make as entrepreneurs. Find out how you can overcome the most common errors often caused by these.
Related: The 6 emotional enemies in your mind
1. Anxiety
It is normal for entrepreneurs to experience anxiety when trying to start a new business or expand an existing one, and it is very important to learn how to control it from the start.
Anxiety usually comes from fear of the unknown and our lack of confidence in the work or process at hand. Often we haven't created a strong enough foundation to feel confident and stable in our abilities.
If you find yourself in a situation where anxiety is consuming your brain, it might be time to take a look. take a deeper look at your business in these three key areas:
Analyze your structure and decipher if you have all the necessary components to support your customers and the team that works to serve them, from IT to training and customer service protocols.
Analyze the core of your team making sure you have the right people in the right positions. Each brings a unique set of skills to the organization. Make sure their key talents match the job they do.
Understand your destination and keep a clear vision of it. In the early stages of a business, it's easier to know where you want to go, but as revenue, teamwork, and obstacles come your way years later, many entrepreneurs lose sight of the destination. and instead focus on the immediate future.
Treat these common issues to ease your anxiety.
2. Anger
Actions and decisions made in anger are automatically negative. Anger is powerful but easily controllable because time can dissipate this strong emotion. Some of the worst decisions can be made in moments of anger and can easily be avoided if you wait 30-40 minutes between emotion and action.
Keep in mind that anger can be especially dangerous when is associated with pride. If you struggle with pride and ego, know it and don't let anger dictate your actions. Take more than 30 minutes to reflect on the factors that made you feel this way and focus on a positive way to turn the situation around. Don't let immediate emotions get in the way of your feelings and cause a desire for immediate retribution.
3. Fear
Fear is the emotion that keeps us from taking risks or achieving more. Either we fear the outcome of what we are about to do, or we fear failure. In other words, asking myself What if constantly torments our minds and dictates our lives.
We worry that the business we want to start is too difficult or won't work. We fear investing because of the potential loss. We fear rejection, so we don't approach potential clients at a networking event. We fear even missing an opportunity, so we rush too quickly.
Fear can be easily manipulated through the ability to assess risk and possible outcomes. We need to look at the maximum gain and loss and then determine the appropriate course of action. But first we must accept the fact that without risk, there can be no return.
The next time you get scared, take a moment and do nothing. You can't assess the risk when you're emotional and can't clearly justify the results. So take a break and let the emotion settle in. So take action.
Related: How to Stop Negative Emotions From Derailing Your Success
