He didn’t care that he didn’t even know how to drive yet.

Colin Garrett was 14 and just knew he wanted to be a racecar driver. Nothing was going to stop him.

So, what’s that got to do with you winning in business?

1. When you’ve got your mind set on a big goal, you don’t have time to be afraid of the little things that might be holding you back.

Too many business owners get so hung up on the things they don’t understand or know how to do, it keeps them from ever even trying to reach their big goals.

You might pull those goals out from time to time, think about them and wish, and then stick them away again. Year after year, they remain unpursued because you’re afraid to get out of your comfort zone.

If you were a 14-year-old wanting to learn to drive a race car, though, you wouldn’t let a little thing like fear or doubt stop you. If anything, the fear would give you an adrenaline rush that would make you want to do it even more.

And if you were Colin, by the time you were 17 you would win the championship in your division.

Imagine achieving the equivalent of that in your business! And then think about not achieving it because you were too afraid to even try.

There’s no question which result you’d rather have, and not being afraid to go for your big goal is the only way to get that result.

2. Learning on the fly while you’re doing should be a given.

When you’re on a race track competing, running at close to 200 miles per hour in a pack of other cars, you don’t have time to stew over the what-if’s or the I-can’ts. You have to make split-second decisions and commit to them or get run over.

And you’re afraid of trying a new marketing strategy? Get off of top dead center, make a decision, commit to it, and do whatever it takes to be successful. Learn what you need to as you go and stop waiting until you think you know everything.

Colin’s coach, Frank Deiny, says he’s just naturally excelled at absorbing information in these situations.

“I can tell him something to do on the track and he can do it by the time he’s on the back stretch!”, Frank proclaims, pointing out that most drivers would take several races to understand.

If you wait until everything is perfect before you test out new strategies, tools, or ideas, you’ll never get it done because you’ll never reach that perfection. That’s really just a way of procrastinating.

Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and jump in. Put yourself in the driver’s seat and let your brain know it’s ok to go with your gut.

3. Don’t whine or complain when things don’t go as planned. Adapt and overcome.

This is another place that Colin excels. According to Frank, he never complains – he just takes what he’s told and applies it.

Case in point, when he’s had to run two different cars in the same day – K&N Pro Series and Super Late Model – he never complained about getting in either car.

That might not seem like a big deal to you, but these cars are very different in speed, handling, and other major features. Imagine yourself switching gears in the middle of a major project and having to walk into an unexpected critical meeting with an important client, with no time to clear your mind and prepare.

When you’re beginning to make changes in your business and work with new tools, tactics and strategies, you’ll often find yourself having to deal with the unexpected.

Learning to take things as they come, deal with reality, and quickly assess your best course of action will save you lots of grief and worry.

4. Go forward, or end up going backwards.

A new business year is coming soon for you, just as a new racing season is coming for Colin.

Now’s the time to decide whether this will be the year that you really go for it. He’s already working towards the next season and you should be, too.

By the end of next year, you’ll have either made great strides in your business or you’ll have fallen behind your competitors. Don’t let fear make you do the latter.

PS – you can learn more about Colin here. Have you considered motorsports marketing in your mix? If so, you should join our history-making cause marketing campaign!