Recently, I found myself in a Mexican desert doing things like walking backwards off an eight story cliff and trying to get a scorpion out of my backpack. Two of my last three vacations have been with Outward Bound. If you're not familiar with Outward Bound, just imagine the opposite of Club Med; instead of Pina Coladas, you get powdered milk. And without going into detail about the facilities, let's just say a Port-o-potty would've been a luxury.

My most recent Outward Bound experience involved "repelling" down an eight story rock face. The other was a climb to the summit of Mt. Massive -- the second highest peak in the Rockies. While it's never easy rationalizing a vacation that may cause bleeding, at least now my day-to-day business challenges don't seem quite as frightening. As a self-employed ad exec who deals with entrepreneurial fear on a regular basis I'm constantly seeking out ways to handle my fear and keep things in perspective.

Self-employment, freelance and business in general, are often resisted by creatives. It's that old left brain-right brain thing. I once worked with a creative director who couldn't even handle wearing a suit for a whole day. The day of a big meeting he'd come to work in his traditional T-shirt and jeans and minutes before the meeting he'd jump into his office, shut the door, and emerge in a suit. It was like watching Superman. The second the meeting was over he'd jump back into his office, rip off the suit, and get back into his T-shirt. Clearly, some folks have a problem with the business side of advertising. Unfortunately, no matter how great your skill or talent is, you will have limited success without developing a head for business.

Some argue that you can simply hook up with an agency or business partner. These people assume the agency or partner will have your best interests in mind. Yeah, right. "But I hate the business part" you say? Keep in mind that creative talents like P. Diddy, Madonna, Steven Spielberg, Jerry Seinfeld and Paul McCartney are successful in big part because they've also learned the buisness side of their profession.

So, how does one learn? Books, articles like this, courses and lectures are all helpful. Or, if you're like me, walking off a cliff. Because like many worthwhile things things, sometimes you just have to get out of your comfort zone and do it. _________________________________ If you like this article, visit Click to Open Web Page for more.