8 Ways to Deal with Fear When Starting a New Project

One way to face the fear of starting a new project is to accept that uncertainty is part of life. It's also about changing your mentality.

Written and verified by the psychologist Maria Fatima Seppi Vinuales.

Last update: 29 March, 2023

Every story begins with a first step, but how difficult it is to take it! Fear is usually there. However, if we know how to give it the right place, we can turn it into an ally. Let’s see, then, some ways to face fear when starting a new project.

These suggestions and tips will help you to fight your own ghosts, doubts and insecurities. It is important to know that fear is an emotion that has a message to give us. We can listen to it, analyze it and move on.

About emotions and fear when starting a new project

It is good to know that a project involves much more than just giving shape to an idea. It also involves learning to manage emotional intelligence in order to recognize qualities and let them speak louder than fears.

Therefore, it is good to be clear about what we are looking for with a project, the reasons that encourage us to carry it out and what prevents us from doing so. We must accept that it is a gradual path with ups and downs. We should not be so demanding or so hard on ourselves.

As E. Gilbert says, “perfectionism is a couture version of fear”. Let’s try to apply a little compassion and encourage action instead of passivity.

Ways to cope with the fear when tarting a new project

Some of the recommendations to cope with the fear of starting a new project are the following.

1. Plan well when starting a new project

Making a list or an inventory of what you need is a way to reduce uncertainty, the main food of our fears. However, don’t fall into the trap of waiting until you have everything on the list to put your idea into action.

On the contrary, we must accept that some things will be solved with time, during the execution. However, keeping those needs in mind is also a way to start managing them.

2. Encourage yourself to share it before finishing it

A good way to improve a project is to test it, instead of waiting until it is finished to make it public. It would be something like the beta version. You will be able to receive feedback, alert on aspects that you had omitted, enrich your look.

3. Identify your strengths and weaknesses when starting a new project

Accept that you are not perfect, that you may not know all the topics in depth and that there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, be an attentive listener and be receptive to constructive criticism. Likewise, be confident in your abilities and what you are good at.

4. Listen to the experiences of other people who were in a similar situation

For some years now it has been fashionable to spread the “B-side” of successful companies. That is to say, leaders or referents who made public their failures and failed attempts before obtaining the results they wanted. In this way, we can learn from the experience of others, as well as coexist better with frustration.

5. Always try to think “outside the box”

Beyond the fact that there are known paths, this is good to keep your creativity awake. Seek to learn new things, investigate trends, and find out what they do in other fields different from yours.

Everything serves to “inject” a new air to the usual. This not only allows us to maintain motivation, but also to add a differential to our project.

6. Recognize your emotions if you feel fear when starting a new project

Every project has an intellectual side, but also an emotional one. Learning to accept your emotions does not make you a weak person.

On the contrary, it allows you to know yourself better. Think about what you feel and come up with solutions to face your fears.

7. Prepare for different scenarios

Starting a new project is not the same as jumping into the void without a net. What it means is that it is convenient to anticipate a complex scenario and foresee some provisional resources that will help us to overcome it.

For example, if you want to leave your job as an employee to become self-employed, among your tasks to solve you can include the possibility of saving for a while before starting.

8. Visualize your success

Optimism and a good attitude are also key when starting a project. Therefore, you can imagine yourself in a situation of triumph and success. As Henry Ford once said: “whether you think you can or not, you’re right.”

Change your mentality on the idea of failure when starting a new project

In a society where social networks and the media only show the bright side of life, it is a challenge to accept that failure is not necessarily negative. Failure brings learning and opportunities for improvement. Even a good idea can be born out of a “stumble”.

The important thing is that you can find a meaning and a motivation for this project. These are the reasons that will help you convince yourself to go ahead when you have doubts. Don’t wait until you are 100% sure; that certainty is built and molded in the doing.