Fear is defined as being afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening. Too often we allow fear to freeze us. To stop us from taking action. Paralysis by analysis. I know this happens to me far more than I wish. I have noticed that even when I, in my heart & mind, know a certain action is a must, the actual act of doing becomes so scary.
It is not easy to overcome this emotion, but it is critical in achieving a goal. The tips I have recently come across pertaining to fear that have helped me overcome the emotion are:
- Don’t be afraid of failure. It is inevitable and the sooner you get comfortable with failure the sooner you will become more courageous with taking the first steps.
- Stop the self talk and inner dialogue that is self sabotaging, instead focus on what you can control and stop pondering over the what if’s. Big deal if you fail…at least you know it didn’t work and you can stop wasting time thinking about the what if’s.
- Write it down and talk about things with someone that can keep you accountable. Ensure when you are set to take a first step you write it down and have those you trust keep you on track if you start to waver.
I feel that working on these strategies will greatly help anyone overcome these fears. Sometime fear is a good thing and we should not ignore these feelings and emotions. Simply ask yourself What am I feeling and why am I feeling it? If it is not real, let it go.
- F. False
- E. Emotions
- A. Appearing
- R. Real