While running a business, you have the opportunity to address problems head on and manage them effectively before they become too big and out of control. However, avoidance seems to be part of human nature, despite the fact that the areas we keep avoiding tend to drain our energy and motivation, and we feel more and more overwhelmed as time goes on. Avoidance is not a workable long term coping strategy. When there is a problem creeping up in your business (or your life), avoiding it usually will not make it better. Left untended and unchecked, small problems can become big ones all too easily. One request I make of my coaching clients is that they become skilled at finding small problems that can be addressed before the problems become too large. Anything that feels worrisome, troublesome, or like something you can’t stop thinking about is worth DOING something about. Don’t just sit around feeling bad, DO something to feel better. This might mean: asking for help, deciding to decide later, getting more information, tracking down a missing piece of information, setting aside time to tackle the issue head on, building in rewards for taking action….anything that will kick you out of avoidance and into a place of action. When you avoid your problems, you always feel powerless and controlled by them. When you act to face your problems, you have taken the first step to personal growth and mastery over the things you fear. The best antidote for fear is action. Once you take even one action to address this issue, you have started on your way to finding a permanent, workable solution.