As warm blood spattered all over us, I screamed…

Actually, it was water, but that didn’t stop me being so scared that my heart was nearly beating out of my chest.

Against my better judgement, my daughter had persuaded me onto the Psycho Hotel ride at the Prater Amusement Park in Vienna.

I don’t like rides at the best of times, and I’m a complete wuss about horror, but I decided to do it anyway.

I came off the ride shaking but exhilarated.

Do one thing that scares you every day

Apparently Eleanor Roosevelt didn’t actually say ‘Do one thing that scares you every day’, as is often claimed, but nevertheless, it’s a great rule to follow.

You don’t need to go on a fairground ride or jump out of a plane, but it is a good idea to push yourself out of your comfort zone regularly.

And I think this is particularly important when you’re running your own business.

Perhaps you’re nervous about putting your prices up, approaching a potential client or sharing your ideas publicly. Or maybe you’ve been thinking about developing a new offer for ages, but keep finding reasons why now isn’t quite the right time.

Even when we know that doing these things could help our businesses grow, it can be surprisingly difficult to get ourselves to take action.

The human brain, particularly the amygdala, or the most primitive part of the brain, is designed to keep you safe. This sounds like a good thing, and obviously, sometimes it is.

However, the fact that the amygdala is always on the lookout for danger means that it will prioritise protecting you over almost anything else: learning something new, experiencing something amazing, getting a great opportunity or meeting other people.

The amygdala would really just like you to stay put in a nice, safe, dark cave.

Which isn’t particularly helpful when you’re trying to build a business.

Exposure therapy

The more you listen to its urgings to avoid all risk, the narrower and darker your life will become.

There is plenty of evidence that the most effective way to deal with our fears and anxieties is by exposing ourselves to what we fear.

You can start off with small steps, but the more you confront your fears, the smaller they become. Whereas the more you allow your fears to prevent you from doing things, the bigger and more real those fears seem to be.

In effect, you are training your brain to believe that the amygdala was absolutely right to protect you from whatever was making you anxious.

The neural pathways that reinforce your fear will become a four-lane motorway.

And I see this happening with freelance language professionals all the time.

Someone might be afraid of being judged if they start posting regularly on LinkedIn, so they avoid doing it. Which means they never get the opportunity to discover that most people are actually pretty supportive, and that the occasional critical comment isn’t the end of the world.

Or perhaps they’re frightened of putting their prices up because they imagine all their clients will leave. So they keep charging the same amount year after year, without ever discovering what might happen if they asked for more.

The longer we avoid these situations, the bigger they can become in our minds.

And, of course, the problem is that building a successful freelance business inevitably involves doing things that feel a bit uncomfortable at first.

Expanding your comfort zone

For this reason, it’s important to keep stretching yourself and keeping all those possibilities open.

Maybe it’s less about leaving your comfort zone and more about expanding it.

And you don’t have to do something enormous or terrifying to make progress.

If you’re nervous about being visible online, you might start by commenting on other people’s posts, then sharing an idea of your own, and eventually perhaps recording a video or running a live session.

If the thought of approaching potential corporate clients feels overwhelming, you could begin by having a conversation with someone who works in the sector and finding out more about the problems they need help with.

Or if you’ve been putting off launching a new programme because you’re worried nobody will buy it, perhaps you could start by testing the idea with a small group of people.

Each time you do something that stretches you a little, you give yourself an opportunity to discover that you can cope with it.

And next time it feels that bit less frightening.

Of course, sometimes the risks we take won’t work out.

You might put your prices up and lose a client. You might approach someone about working together and get turned down. You might launch an offer and find that hardly anyone signs up.

But that’s fine, as long as you don’t let your amygdala conclude that you should learn never to take a risk again.

Instead, learn from the experience and get ready for the next adventure.

What could you do to stretch yourself today?

I think it’s worth asking yourself whether there’s something you’ve been avoiding in your business, even though you know it could be good for you.

It doesn’t need to be a huge step.

Perhaps it’s sending an email you’ve been putting off, sharing an opinion on LinkedIn, following up with a prospective client or having a conversation about your prices.

Something that makes you feel a little uncomfortable, but that you know you would like to be able to do.

Because the more often you take these small, calculated risks, the more you discover what you’re capable of.

And the bigger your comfort zone becomes, the more possibilities open up to you.

So, what’s one thing you could do today that scares you just a little?

Want to feel more confident running your business?

If fear of getting things wrong, worrying about what other people think or your Inner Troll are stopping you from taking action in your business, I’ve brought together some practical resources to help.

In my Feel more confident running my business Resource Centre, you’ll find articles and videos about overcoming self-doubt, challenging unhelpful beliefs and developing the confidence to make decisions and put yourself out there.

Explore the Mindset and Confidence resources