Four Steps To Overcome Fear And Thrive In Business And Life

The power of connection

Think about all we have been through in the past few years: the pandemic, a mass switch toward online work, global uncertainty, and stress reaching epic proportions. Even after millions have returned to in-person work and school, people everywhere continue to struggle with feelings of isolation.

About 53% of women recently surveyed said their stress levels are higher now than they were a year ago, according to Deloitte’s Women @ Work 2022: A Global Outlook. Another 10%  said they were actively looking for another job, citing burnout as the top reason.
 

Anxiety, fear, and self-doubt have been eating away at our mental health, and I believe isolation is also to be blamed. Just getting people back in the office isn’t enough. Another study from McKinsey found that one of every three employees reported that returning to the workplace actually increased their level of anxiety, depression, and fear. There's a big difference between being with people, and being intentionally with people who support you.

How do we become fully expressed human beings and contribute our gifts and our offerings to the world in a way that replenishes us, nourishes us and empowers us? The answer is - through connection.

Did you know that 77% of the highest-achieving women have strong ties with an inner circle of other women? Those connections provide the fuel we need to power us through times of rampant uncertainty and fear, and propel us to create a life of fulfillment and meaning.

Western society has long tended to reward the individual, the person who goes it alone. Yet that model is becoming increasingly outdated, especially in leadership in the corporate landscape, while the native genius among collaborative forces is becoming more and more valued.

If you are ready to move away from fear and isolation, here are some ideas to help you on your journey to start creating through connection:

Four Powerful Tools for Increasing Connection

1.  Embrace the Power of Your Story

Our number one superpower in doing this is vulnerability. We have to be willing to be vulnerable in order to connect with others, and also to leverage those connections. Practice telling your story using the formula that Pixar has used to develop its movies!
●    Once upon a time, there was …
●    Every day …
●    One day …
●    Because of that …
●    Because of that …
●    Because of that …
●    Until finally …
●    Ever since then …

Here’s an example, using my own story:
Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived in Andover, Massachusetts, who was not seen or heard. And she did not feel safe every day. She tried to make her mother happy by focusing on things that were positive and giving her the bright side of any situation. And every day she waved in front of her dad so that maybe he would recognize her and be curious about her. One day, she realized that she could never get these things from her parents. And because of that, she ventured out into the world. She went into the Peace Corps to serve others and to find herself. And because of that, she realized that living an intentional life was the way to find herself, not gathering more and more experiences through adventure. And because of that, she dedicated her work towards helping others find themselves through the deep inner dive. Until finally she realized that her true calling was to specifically raise women. And ever since then, she has been helping women be seen and heard and feel safe in the truth of who they are.

This exercise is designed to help you practice self-authorship — creating beliefs, making choices, and developing relationships that reflect the person you want to be. It could be six months from now. It could be 10 years from now. Self-authorship means you are working on making the choices and developing and focusing on the relationships that reflect the future you.

2. Move Beyond Fear and Self Doubt

Start by answering these questions:
●    What would you like? Write down five things you would like. It might be in your life, for your work, or for your relationships.
●    What will having that do for you?
●    How will you know when you have it?
●    Where, when, and with whom do you want this?
●    What could you lose that you really value when you get this?

That fifth question will help you to see what you might be hanging onto. This exercise will help you move beyond fear and self-doubt or anything else that is holding you back. This kind of framing naturally pushes fear out of the way, because you can come up with a very clear picture of what you want and what it will mean for you.

3. Practice the Art of Rapport

I am not talking about rapport in terms of active listening. Rapport is more of an energy dynamic between you and those around you; between you and your higher self, your future self and your past self; between you and your inner circle.

Most rapport comes from curiosity. The more curiosity you have, the more rapport you will build. As you develop rapport with yourself, it becomes more natural to do it with other people.

Rapport is a crucial part of creating through connection. It allows you to lean in and create a close and harmonious relationship in which people and groups communicate and understand each other's feelings. It’s also vital when you're witnessing somebody else stretching, reaching, and challenging themselves beyond their comfort zone.

4. Expand Your Vision

The best way to expand your vision is to connect with a tribe of powerful influencers who have your back, even as your vision is unfolding. We don’t all have crystal clear visions. I don't have a crystal clear vision of how my business is going to shift and emerge, or how I'm going to grow in the next phase. But I do know that there are certain elements of that vision that I continuously bring to my power circle. That’s my word for the inner circle of women I bring my vision to, piece by piece so that they can help me expand it. And they have, beyond my wildest imagination.

Connections, opportunities, possibilities, and challenges. As you explore them, you can move outside your inner circle, sharing your vision with as many people as you can. The more people, and the more diverse the population that you can share your vision with, the more feedback and the more expansion you'll get in in return.

We’re here to transform the collective epidemic of fear and self-doubt that holds women back into something extraordinary, pivotal, and life-altering in ways that we may not yet be able to envision. Trust is our friend. Our path as women is an emerging path, and being comfortable with the unknown is key.

So discover what your vision is, and really lean on the people around you. You can make miracles, not by your own efforts or will, but through the connection with the people around you.

Author Bio

Chantal Pierrat is the Founder/CEO of Emerging Women™ and Emerging Human™. Fortune 500 companies including Halliburton, HP, and Oracle and more turn to her new approach based on peer mentoring to fast-track gender diversity and advance more women into leadership roles worldwide. Her companies support leaders looking to influence cultural and systemic change through authentic leadership and connection. Serving over 70,000 women worldwide, she is advancing women's leadership, reducing attrition, increasing employee engagement, and impacting career mobility and growth. Visit EmergingHuman.com and EmergingWomen.com Connect Chantal Pierrat