What’s REALLY the worst thing that could happen?
Virtually every person has felt strong fear at some point in their lives, and self-doubt is fueled by catastrophic predictions. Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger. It helps us protect ourselves from legitimate threats. Most often though, we fear situations that are far from life-threatening and we hang back because we don’t want to look foolish, be embarrassed, not know what to do, or feel like a novice.
Once you venture out of your comfort zones, negative thoughts will, regrettably, rise to the surface and can seduce you into doing nothing. Thoughts like “I’m going to mess everything up” or “I’m in way over my head” can fuel our fear and doubt. Oftentimes, we fear failure, we fear success, or we fear the unknown. In the end, our fears and doubts hold us back. But, don’t allow your inner monologue to drag you down, stay focused on the present.
5 Helpful Tips:
- Stop making excuses: we regularly use excuses, and call them “reasons,” to stop ourselves from moving forward. Fear will automatically be a part of the equation when you step out of your comfort zone and try something new. But when you master a new skill you gain experience, build confidence and fear will start to dissipate. Remind yourself that very few people are good at anything when they first try it.
- Examine your fear: what will happen if you do make a mistake? Examine the truth behind your fear and doubt. Looking at the facts can help you see things in a more realistic way. Remind yourself that even if things go terribly wrong, it’s unlikely to be truly life altering.
- Consider mentorship and motivational materials: positive influences from like-minded individuals, or from those already successfully doing the thing you want to do can help you do the necessary tasks to reach your goals. Books and tapes are readily available and easily accessible. Everyone needs a little help to be successful.
- Forgive yourself: It is often harder to forgive ourselves than to forgive others. We constantly dwell on the times we failed or caused someone harm. Give yourself permission to try new things, but don’t be unrealistic. And always remember to reward yourself even for the small things.
- Take action: Most people avoid discomfort like the plague. Often the fear of doing something is much worse than actually doing it. Some degree of fear will always be there but continue to stretch yourself and move forward with your life. You’ve got to take action.
Life can become extremely overwhelming, but it’s your job to mitigate the obstacles it throws your way. Because of fear and doubt, many of us never follow our dreams, never do the things we want to do, and never venture far from where we are right now. Sometimes we play the victim and hold ourselves back from a life of betterment. Rather than making fear an obstacle, we must learn to work through it to accomplish our goals and make our dreams come true.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. – Dale Carnegie
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. – Nelson Mandela
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To Your Success,
Althea
Althea A. McLeish Wilson, RN, MSN
Educate . Empower . Encourage
Promoting inner health & outer beauty!
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