Terrified of the Spotlight

Ok, so you’re terrified of being in the spotlight! I get it girl! I was too.

I work with many new entrepreneurs who face a lot of feelings of discomfort. The biggest challenge is adjusting to being the face of your brand. The truth is – you are the face of your brand, whether you like it or not.

There is no shame in stepping up, sharing your gifts to the world, and serving your clients. Show up and own it! So, in today’s post I’m sharing my thoughts on the power of discomfort, how to manage it, be more comfortable and confident and use this to fuel your business. Need to work on that self-confidence? Catch up on it here

A side note here…to promote yourself and your brand

• You DON’T have to be a celebrity or a supermodel
• You DON’T have to be a motivational speaker in order to captivate your audience
• You DON’T need to be “everywhere” all the time. You choose what you want to share and when.

The Power of Discomfort

Here’s the thing – If you want to be successful in your business you have to embrace discomfort. Sounds uncomfortable right? 

I know it’s very uncomfortable to change, to do new things, to risk failure, to risk rejection. Why? Because your brain thinks of a million and one reasons why it won’t work and why it’s not possible. That’s the brain’s job – to protect us. But the only way we evolve is by overcoming that reaction your brain has to your thoughts. 

The more we choose discomfort, the more we choose to put ourselves out there, the more we try new things and are willing to fail at them over and over again, the more successful we will be. Because this forces us to evolve and grow. And, why grow and evolve? Because the alternative is that you never get any better at it, instead you choose to distract yourself, buffering with some false pleasure. The discomfort of growth is always new, is always exciting, is always different. It is what EARNS success. 

Managing Feelings of Discomfort

Instead of trying to avoid discomfort, instead of trying to bypass it or find the detour around it, MOVE INTO IT. I promise the better you get at being uncomfortable, the better you get at everything. 

So, practice, practice, practice. Get in front of your camera! Start live streaming…like right now! Facebook and Instagram live videos are the hottest trends in self-promotion. It’s a great way to engage with your audience and boost your brand. Pretend the camera lens is your friend, and have a conversation. If you mess up, it’s OK. You are a real human being, not a perfect robot and you will get better with time.

Manage your feelings by being aware of your thoughts, feelings and actions. 

• Notice if you are hiding from being the face of your business in order to feel safe, or risk rejection. Don’t let FEAR hold you back from living your potential.
• Watch out for that negative self-talk. Language like “I can’t do this”, or “I’m not good at that” DOESN’T SERVE YOU. Turn around those words around and focus on positivity.
• Distractions are plentiful! Beware if you have a tendency to buffer (these are distractions and habits that don’t serve you). My weakness…Netflix binging! 

The Bottom Line

Your brand is an extension of you — and your product, program or service.

Move into discomfort, use it to grow, and serve your audience. People buy from people they know and trust. So, step up, best face forward, and get in front of the camera (or in front of mine!) Practice and soon you will rock it –  a brand that you’re truly proud of  and one that WOW’s your target audience at the same time!

Thinking of booking a personal brand session to embrace being the face of your brand? Give me a shout here I’d love to chat with you!