Fear is a human emotion that is triggered by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism that signals our bodies to respond to danger with a fight or flight response. As such, it is an essential part of keeping us safe. So, be friendly with it and overcome to be a winner.
As we move forward on our journey to Success in life, we are going to have to confront our fears. Fear is natural. Whenever we start a new project, take on a new venture, or put ourself out there, there is usually fear.
Unfortunately, most people let fear stop them from taking the necessary steps to achieve their dreams. Successful people, on the other hand, feel the fear along with the rest of us but don’t let it keep them from doing anything they want to do-or have to do. They understand that fear is something to be acknowledged, experienced, and taken along for the ride. They have learned, as author Susan Jeffers suggests, “to feel the fear and do it anyway.”*
Millions of years ago, fear was our body’s way of signaling us that we were out of our comfort zone. It alerted us to possible danger, and gave us the burst of adrenaline we needed to run away. Unfortunately, though this
response was useful in the days when saber-toothed tigers were chasing us, today most of our threats are not all that life-threatening.
Today, fear is more of a signal that we must stay alert and cautious. We can feel fear, but we can still move forward anyway. Think of your fear as a 2-year-old child who doesn’t want to go grocery shopping with you. You wouldn’t let a 2-year-old’s mentality run your life. Because you must buy groceries, you’ll just have to take the 2-year-old along with you. Fear is no different. In other words, acknowledge that fear exists but don’t let it keep you from doing important tasks.
YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO FEEL THE FEAR
Some people will do anything to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of fear. If you are one of those people, you run an even bigger risk of never getting what you want in life. Most of the good stuff requires taking a risk. And the nature of a risk is that it doesn’t always work out. People do lose their investments, people do forget their lines, people do fall off mountains, people do die in accidents. But as the old adage so wisely tells us, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
FANTASIZED EXPERIENCES APPEARING REAL
Another Important aspect to remember about fear is that, as humans, we’ve also evolved to the stage where almost all of our fears are now self-created. We frighten ourselves by fantasizing negative outcomes to any activity we might pursue. Luckily, because we are the ones doing the fantasizing, we are also the ones who can stop the fear by facing the actual facts, rather than giving in to our imaginations. We can choose to be sensible. Psychologists like to say that fear means
Fantasized
Experiences
Appearing
Real
Let us Grow Together 