Fear of Failure. Fear of Success. Fear of Abandonment. Fear of Death. Fear of Rejection. Fear of Conflict. Fear of Poverty. Fear of Loneliness. Fear of being alone. Fear of starting over. Fear of making decisions. Fear of commitment. Fear of strangers. Fear of not being liked. Fear of disappointment.
The list goes on and on when we think about all the fears that hold us back.
What I’ve learned though is that the quality of our life grows or shrinks in direct proportion to how much we let fear rule our decisions.
Conquering Fear and Self Doubt
Here are the five critical steps to moving past this fear mindset:
Change your focus
Stop focusing on fear, and here’s why. When you focus on what you fear, you spend your time trying to resist it, fight it, and react to it. When you focus on what your fear, notice that all the attention and energy is on what you don’t want instead of what you do want. The game changer is when you can shift your focus to what you want instead.
Here are the key questions to ask yourself:
Why does (insert your goal) matter to you? For some, your goal of starting a new business might be a matter of survival and making a living for themselves and family. For others, it might be more about making a difference. Whatever the reason, you have to know with clarity.
How much does (insert your goal) matter to you? The more you believe in your goal, the more likely you will push past your fear and take action. Do you have a purpose that compels you to reach higher, deeper, and farther beyond yourself?
Acquire Perfect Eyesight
You must have perfect eyesight or, to put it another way, you must focus relentlessly on where you are going. You have to consciously hold the vision of what they are gaining in their mind’s eye with such detail and clarity that this positive vision of the result is more vivid than any fears.
Change what you think it means
We are so trained to believe that fear is something to be avoided at all costs, that we miss entirely that in many cases, the discomfort is merely telling us that we are moving out of our comfort zone. What if we could see the pain we feel as a natural part of something that is for our benefit as opposed to something we should avoid?
Take decisive action. Behave Instead of Think Your Way to Change
Successful people know that you must behave your way into what you want. They know they must take action that is born out of carefully crafted, realistic and manageable steps to get to the desired goal. They don’t wait until they no longer feel fear, or they feel completely ready to take new directions. Instead, they just do it. They know that their forward movements and the success and that come from those actions will, in turn, help build their feelings of confidence.
Follow Positive Role Models and Support System for Success
Successful people seek out role positive role models of what they are trying to achieve. Role models provide a reliable source of constant inspiration and encouragement along the journey. Successful people will focus on others who are also approaching change with optimism and confidence so they can create the right support system for themselves. These supporters can also keep you on task and accountable for your goals.
