MyTake March 12, 2009, 12:01AM EST

Snap Out of That Self-Help Stupor and Get to Work

BusinessWeek reader and entrepreneur Nancy Price says we should all get over ourselves and our fears and get on with our dreams

BusinessWeek reader Nancy J. Price co-founded SheKnows.com in 1999 and now serves as the site's executive editor. As founding partner of three startups, she helped launch other sites, including ePregnancy, Myria.com, and Pregnancy & Baby.

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You know The Secret, have cultivated The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and want The 4-Hour Work Week. That's because you have read every book in existence on how to start your own business and otherwise achieve personal success.

Now here's the bad news: As long as you're reading about what to do, you're not doing what you need to do. In fact, if you constantly need to use external resources—books, Web sites, or seminars—to motivate yourself, your first job is to figure out what's really going on in your head and in your heart.

"Analysis paralysis" can affect even the savviest entrepreneurs—even when it means a loss of time, money, and drive. But why? We're ostensibly motivated to effect change. After all, isn't that what inspired the book-buying binge?

As a serial entrepreneur, I'm fortunate to know other self-starters. So here's some of their advice on making the leap from vision to reality—and what they think makes some people stop before they've even started.

Climb the Wall of Fear

For the entrepreneur, fear is often enemy No. 1. "Ultimately, people get stuck because of fear," says Larry Weintraub, CEO and co-founder of Fanscape, a marketing agency whose clients include NBC, Honda (HMC), AT&T (T), and Electronic Arts (ERTS). "They are terrified of failing and the ego and financial downside associated with that."

And although she's written 28 books, Ann Douglas—author of the best-selling The Mother of All… series—agrees: "Fear can be a huge barrier. I struggle with that every time I write something for a brand-new editor."

It's only natural to worry that your business won't be successful, that you might feel you're not truly up to the task, or that the entrepreneurship you dream about will ultimately turn out to be unfulfilling.

Don't Spend Your Life Planning

But you can shoot yourself in the foot if you always seek the sure thing. "Some writers I know won't aim high in their careers," says Douglas. "They go after work that they know they can get rather than going after the work that they really want because they are scared of rejection."

If you're so scared you will make a mistake that you want to think through everything, you might be creating an even bigger headache. Fanscape was one of the first Internet-based digital-engagement marketing companies, created because Weintraub saw an opportunity and didn't hesitate. "You can't wait around for the idea to be fully figured out because you'll miss your window. Someone else will think of your idea, too, and will act on it," he says.

Fear can have an upside, too: It's a great motivator. "Nothing got me out of bed in the morning faster than fear," says Kim Lavine, best-selling author of Mommy Millionaire and president of Mommy Millionaire Media. "Having the courage to just do what had to be done the first year or two is the secret to my success in a nutshell."