The Imaginary Cliff That Keeps You From Starting a Business

There’s a simple four-letter word that has torpedoed more great ideas and paralyzed more ambitious people than anything else in history. That word is fear.

The philosopher Suzy Kassem put it perfectly: “Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.” It’s the voice that whispers that the risks are too big, that you’re not ready, that success is a long shot. It plants a seed of doubt that chokes out potential before it even has a chance to grow. Fear is so effective because it stops us from even trying. You can’t fail if you never start, but you can’t succeed either. This is the biggest hurdle for anyone thinking about whether to .

What’s ironic is that most of what we worry about never actually happens. A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that a staggering 91.4% of our fears are unfounded. Think about that. You wouldn’t trust a surgeon with a 91.4% failure rate, yet we let our fears dictate our lives with that exact track record. So why do we give this emotion so much power?

From an evolutionary standpoint, fear was our superpower. It was the emotion most tied to survival—it kept our ancestors from wandering into dark caves, poking angry predators, or walking off cliffs. In a very real way, fear is why we’re all here. But the world has changed. We aren't in the middle of the food chain anymore, and our environment isn't nearly as dangerous. The problem is, our brains haven't caught up. That ancient, primordial fear is still there, woven into our DNA.

How Fear Is Used Against You

Our brains are hardwired with a negative bias meant to protect us. Six core emotions—fear, anger, disgust, sadness, surprise, and happiness—helped our species survive. But this protective mechanism is now often exploited.

Just turn on any 24-hour news channel. You’ll notice the news is overwhelmingly negative, and that’s by design. Media executives know our brains are programmed to pay more attention to threats. More negative news means we watch longer, see more ads, and they make more money. Corporations and politicians make billions by leveraging our fears. Social media platforms thrive on the fear of missing out (FOMO), encouraging users to post curated highlights that make others feel like their own lives don't measure up.

This constant flood of negativity and comparison can feel like you’re drowning, leading to skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression. But once you see the pattern, you can protect yourself. You get to decide what you pay attention to and whether you allow others to manipulate you for profit.

The New Face of Fear

Today, our fears are less about physical survival and more about psychological risk. We’re not worried about being eaten by a predator; we’re worried about what might happen if we fail.

Psychologist Phil McGraw, Dr. Phil, claims that 80% of our choices are fear-based. We don't choose what we want; we choose what feels safe. Interestingly, researchers believe we’re only born with two fears: falling and loud noises. Everything else—fear of failure, rejection, judgment, even spiders—is learned. The difference between people who feel fulfilled and those who don’t often comes down to one thing: learning to manage fear instead of letting it manage you. As Nelson Mandela said, courage isn't the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

The Mental Cliff

When I was finishing graduate school, I was chasing a six-figure salary at a big Wall Street firm. It seemed like the right path, but something felt off. I was discussing my reservations with a professor, Bob Barbato, when he asked me a simple question: “If you could do anything, what would it be?”

I admitted that I’d always wanted to have my own business like my dad. “So, why don’t you?” he asked. I rattled off a list of excuses: no good ideas, no money, no experience. He listened patiently and then shared a piece of wisdom that changed my life.

He told me that whenever you’re about to do something important, you’ll find yourself standing at the edge of a mental cliff. Looking down, you’ll see all the unknowns and risks. Looking back, you’ll see the safety of what you already know. Most people turn around and walk away from that cliff. “Me,” he said, “I’ve always taken the forward step. And everything I truly value in my life, I’ve found on the other side of what only seemed like a cliff in my mind.”

That day, I turned down the Wall Street job and started the research for my first . That conversation was the beginning of a real shift from having a security in mind to truly building something of my own.

Stepping Past Your Fears

Your comfort zone is that imaginary cliff. It’s defined by what you’ve done before and what you believe you’re capable of. Stepping over that line feels scary, but it’s where all growth happens. If you’re considering , you're already at the edge. Here are three practical ways to take that forward step.

1. Get to Know Your Unknowns

Fear thrives in the dark. So, turn on the lights. Ask yourself, “What is the absolute worst thing that could happen?” Often, when you define the worst-case scenario, you realize it’s not that catastrophic. In fact, the outcome of doing nothing can be far worse. FDR famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” By exploring the unknowns, you might realize the risk of starting that is much smaller than you imagined.

2. Take Away Your Downside Risk

Nothing in life is risk-free, but you can almost always minimize the downside. J. Paul Getty, once the richest man in America, said his secret was to think about the worst possible outcomes and then spend his time making sure they didn’t happen. Before launching a project or a new venture, map out the potential pitfalls. What could go wrong on the path from a , and what simple things can you do to prevent those problems? This proactive approach turns vague anxiety into a concrete action plan.

3. Focus on What You Want

Your dominant thoughts shape your reality. People who master their fears are incredibly clear about what they want to achieve and why. They visualize their success. Conversely, people ruled by fear lack a compelling vision. They focus on just getting through the day. As author Terry Litwiller said, “Success comes from having dreams that are bigger than your fears.” If you're passionate about , focus on the freedom and fulfillment it could bring, not just the obstacles. That vision will pull you forward when fear tries to hold you back.