Overcoming the Single Biggest Obstacle to Success: FEAR

Fear is the inner barrier that separates you from what you desire. It is your greatest enemy. Fear is capable of destroying not only people’s careers, but their entire lives. But that doesn’t have to happen to you. Why? Because fear isn’t real. And fear rarely comes true.

Eight percent. That’s the percent of our fears that actually become realized. A mere eight percent. That means that a full ninety-two percent of your fears will never happen.

So here are a few suggestions to help you overcome your fears and secure your future:

1. Break down your fears.
When you start to define and identify what your fear is, you stand a good chance of successfully disarming it as well. Take it apart. What does it look like? What does it consist of? What is it you’re afraid of? Don’t be surprised if the attempt to answer these questions helps you identify your fear as something not nearly as threatening as it was before.

2. Stay in the here and now.
Fear is always about the future. What’s going to happen to me? Will something keep me from getting what I want? Are my dreams going to be shattered? Etc., etc., etc. Living in the future only robs you of the attention you need to devote to the present in order for your future to work out the way you want it to. The best way to stay out of the future is to be entirely in the present. The more your conscious attention remains focused on whatever the task at hand is, the better your chances are for a rosy future, and the less you’ll experience fear.

3. Shift your focus.
Fear can become obsessive. It can dominate your thinking and completely take over your consciousness. When this occurs, absolutely nothing positive can be accomplished. The best thing you can do when you find yourself obsessing on fear is to consciously shift your attention. Interrupt the flow of fearful thoughts with a book, a TV show, surfing the Web, talking with a friend, taking a walk in the park – anything that is able to shift your focus away from the fearful thinking. Do this whenever it’s necessary and for as long as it takes. Make a habit of this technique; it will serve you well.

4. Share your fears.
You don’t have to be completely alone with your fears.

Doing so is uncomfortable and unhealthy. Even if you’re not used to doing it, share your fears with someone else. Another set of eyes can sometimes help to expose whatever frightens you as unrealistic, irrational, or even ridiculous.

Often, all you need is someone to shed a light on your fear for it to disappear entirely. It’s like the child in bed in the darkness who sees a monster across the room, and when his parents turn on the light, the monster is revealed to be just a coat hanging over a chair.

5. Take baby steps.

Once you act out of fear, bad things tend to happen. Fear can feel gigantic and overwhelming. That is why it’s best to overcome fear one little step at a time. Why would anyone allow fear to rule his or her life, when fear is the opposite of a prudent, rational, and reasonable way of life? The answer is the person doesn’t think he or she has a choice. The truth is, you do have a choice.

You can choose to start from the beginning and have your first step be an exercise in taking control of your life and emotions. Write down on a piece of paper what your life would look like if fear were not present. Who would you be? What could you accomplish? How exactly would you go about realizing your dreams? Go into as much detail as you can. Imagine how magnificent your life could be. This is the beginning of the end of fear.

6. Make the change.
One effect fear seems to have on most people is paralysis. It’s like the proverbial deer in the headlights. The deer crossing the road sees the lights of the oncoming car and finds that it cannot move. The only way to overcome this kind of paralyzing fear is by taking positive action. This usually involves some sort of change. It is a conscious decision to depart from the norm.

The change can be big or small, as long as it represents a different kind of action.

Big change could be finding a new job or moving across the country. Small change might be something as minor as dressing differently or getting your car washed more often. The basic idea is that only you can take responsibility for the quality of your life. And taking that responsibility involves more than just saying so. It involves action, which begins with a commitment to change.