Overcoming Fear: The Fear Factor

" If you want to conquer fear, don't sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy" Dale Carnegie

Everyone is afraid of something. Fear is natural reaction that can be critical to our survival. That fight-or-flight instinct gives us the ability we need to escape when we are in danger. There is healthy fear that keep us alive.

One of the things that separates successful people from those trapped in mediocrity out there is their ability to overcome their fears and move beyond them. For so many of us fear paralyzes our potential. It keeps us from moving forward and achieving the success that we deserve.

Excessive fear results in  insecurity, lack of confidence, procrastination.

The commonest fears are the fears of failing, of the unknown, of being unprepared, making the wrong decision, ridicule, of rejection.

We so much want to be sure that everything will work out in our favor that when we face uncertainty of outcomes we fear moving forward. If we were certain that we could control the outcome, we would not be afraid.

Whatever your fear: heights,  asking your boss for a raise, standing in front of a group to give that presentation, talking to people you don't know,  asking out for a date, uncertainty of outcome that is in conflict with your desire to be in control of the situation.

Our desire for control and certainty in our lives can overwhelm any rational thought when we are faced with a situation where the outcome is totally unpredictable.

The normal response to fear is to escape,  Escape puts us in our comfort zone and reduces the impact temporarily.

Now imagine that you have someone who loves you unconditionally and who will support you no matter what even when you are wrong. Imagine with this person you can feel absolutely safe, cared for and approved of and watched over.

Do you feel more able to take on a challenge now that you know that you are loved?

You don't have to really be in control now. There is somone supporting and loving you.The outcome doesn't matter, as long as you have tried your best.

Love conquers fear.
The source of love is within you, around you.
God has created you in love.
Tap on it. Dwell in it.
Soak in it. Internalize it. Believe it.

Examine yourself, your fears. The assumptions may not be real.

Delving deeper into the cause of your fears,

Imagine what is the worst that could happen if your fear really came to pass.

For example  if you screwed up the presentation, what is your worst fear?

Rejection, ridicule, loss of job.

If you lost your job, what is your worst fear?

Inability to find another job, lack of money

If you had no money, what is your worst fear?

Nothing to eat. Will die.

Prepare for the worst. Make preparations so you do not have to face the consequences of your worst fears, yet be prepared if it really happens.

 Even if you really had to travel down the ladder of fear, had to eventually face the worst fear of your life- death, can you?

 " No one is truly free who is afraid to die" Martin Luther King Jr

Once we are not afraid of death, the ultimate fear of all fears, can we then be free to truly live.

Fearlessly.

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