3 Steps to Getting Unstuck and Make Fear Your Friend
What is your relationship to fear? Have you ever stopped to think about it? Most of us do think about it constantly. The trouble is, most of the time we are thinking about it subconsciously. You might have anxiety of striking out on your own. You might be terrified of financial insecurity. Many of us have a fear of failure. Here’s the strange thing – the more we ignore these dark emotions, the stronger the hold fear has on us..
There are three ways you can start to pry that fear out of its corner. Once you do, you will wonder why you left it so long to take root. Think of it like mold. Unless you treat it, it’s going to wreak havoc in your life whether you know it’s there or not.
So – let’s take a road trip into the land of psychology and see what you can do to turn the tables on fear. Decide to make it work for you, not against you. Whatever your dream is, you have to make it happen. Getting fear out of the way is the first step.
Tactic #1 Define Your Dreams
In order to get to the fears you have, start with your dreams. Write down your biggest dreams in detail. Envision your life as you wish it could be in 5 years. It’s just you and pen and paper, so go for the biggest dreams you can find. Don’t feel silly – it’s an important exercise and if you don’t do it, you could be stuck right where you are in 5 years. Invest the time to figure out what those dreams are. You won’t regret it.
Tactic #2 Get In Touch with Your Fears.
The best way to tackle mold is to get your mask on and spray it with bleach. Get your figurative mask and bleach – your pen and paper – and sit down and face your fear. What are you afraid of? Be specific. Do you think that you have what it takes to run a business? If not, why not? Are you worried about your financial situation, or what would happen if you financed a venture with savings or your 401K? List it all of your fears so that you can identify them.
When you exhausted your list of fears, anxieties, worries – then start to study it.
Tactic #3 Plan Various Scenarios.
Now that you have your fears listed, take a look at them. For each one, list a worst case scenario. Take them line by line and give yourself a/b plan in the event that each one actually came to fruition.
After you have action plans in place for your fears, consider whether the fear is as scary as it was before. Do you feel more comfortable going forward knowing you have given thought to all of the potential outcomes?
When you recognize your fears, you can control how much power you give them. You can choose how to react to fear. You can choose to take action toward your goals, in spite of your fears.
The Courage to Make Change
In summary, the work you are doing to figure out your goals and your fears help you to become aware. In developing awareness, you have the ability to start making decisions that will lead toward change. That takes courage.
You know you want to achieve x, y and z. If you do nothing, you will stay where you are. Or, you can cultivate awareness, plan for outcomes – and take steps toward change. Every day, keep your goals in mind and move closer toward your goal. What will you do today to get one step closer to your dreams?
I hope that you decide to reach your full potential, whatever that may be. If your dream involves business ownership, I would love to help. Here’s to a week of tackling your fears and moving toward goals.