What Are The Four Ways To Overcome Fear?

“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt in his inaugural address, 4 March 1933

So many people fail to achieve their potential in life through fear of the consequences. Fear undermines any motivation words that might help and causes procrastination, makes projects seem impossible and dreams unachievable. Confidence is lost and this is why fear is the cause of most economic recessions.

It is such a widespread problem that we need to find an answer.

Overcoming Fear

There is a simple mnemonic we can use. We simply MAKE fear go away.

Motivation
Action
Knowledge
Educate Your Thinking

Motivation

The key is to find a cause that overcomes the fear.

Imagine you have taken your child to a playground. Perhaps she is playing happily with friends when a strange man came up and takes her by the hand to lead her away. Would you glance across, finish the conversation you were having before wandering slowly across to see if all is okay or would you abandon the discussion and sprint to the spot, probably ripping the man to shreds in an effort to regain your daughter?

Maybe that was not a great example but it does illustrate how motivation overcomes any fear.

Action

Curiously if you take action in the face of fear you will probably find the fear was unfounded anyway. The fear will disappear and you will feel elation at your success that makes it all worthwhile.

In his book ‘The Magic Of Thinking Big,’ David Schwartz describes how simply acting confidently can make you feel confident.

If you are at a meeting and feel you have something useful you would like to say, say it. As a former employer of mine one said ‘the only silly question is the one you don’t ask.’ Similarly at a conference ensure you sit at the front and you will immediately feel involved. In conversations use eye contact and smile; you will not only feel more confident but others will find you more honest and will warm to you.

Body language is important too. Hold your head up, stand erect and walk a little faster. If you need an example of this at work, watch a sporting event. The losers will walk slowly and limp while the winners are erect and confident.

Some time ago I was the subject of a disciplinary meeting at my job. The manager running the interview was a disagreeable bully of a man. I decided to put what I had learned into action and ensured I got good eye contact, smiled and spoke up when it was required. The manager ended up frustrated and backing down when he realized I was not going to cower in front of him.

Knowledge

Fear is frequently the result of misunderstanding what is going on.

A common fear is that of public speaking. This can be reduced by knowing as much as you can on the subject about which you want to speak. Further confidence can be found from researching the methods of already successful speakers.

It has been reported that some 90% of what we fear will not happen. If we understand more about the situation it follows that we will realize there is nothing to fear.

James Allen put it well: “Where there is fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, trouble, chagrin, or disappointment, there is ignorance and lack of faith.”

Educate Your Thinking

In her wonderful book ‘Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway,’ Susan Jeffers suggests that fear is a concern we cannot deal with whatever happens to us. Therefore a fear of criticism is the worry we cannot handle other people’s criticism.

All we need to is to believe the motivation words ‘I CAN handle it!’

Are you still doubtful you can control fear?

Every human being, including you, is important. Every human being is an amazing creation. To understand more, try this exercise.

Raise your hand level with your face and move your fingers slowly. Watch how they operate. Do you think you could construct a similar mechanism? No, of course not.

Think about how your whole body works, including your eyes, mouth, legs, arms and eyes. You may differ from others in your physical attributes in some way but you are still an incredible creation.

You have everything you need to be successful.

Believe this and you will defeat your fears.

Conclusion

Life is full of fears and in truth new fears are a good sign. As you move forward in life there will always be fresh fears appearing.

Avoiding fears creates frustration and unhappiness whereas, if you learn how to combat and overcome fear, the triumph you feel may well motivate you to take up new challenges.


If you would like to know more about overcoming fear and joining a journey to get the most out of life using inspiration messages (without the hype!) why not join us at InspirationMessages.com

Which 3 Fears Are The Most Common?

Before we can ever tackle something new in life and move on we have to address our fears. Fear is the number one reason why people do not achieve what they consider to be success.

But what are these fears? How can we identify them? Napoleon Hill is probably our best guide. In his classic book, ‘Think And Grow Rich,’ Hill sets out the six most common fears and their features. Let us look at the top three.


The Fear of Poverty


This comes from the erroneous belief that wealth is restricted and for one person to win another must lose. Not true. Napoleon Hill puts it this way: “we live in a world of overabundance of everything the heart could desire, with nothing standing between us and our desires, excepting a lack of definite purpose.”


The fear of poverty produces procrastination, pessimism, feigned indifference and a resigned acceptance of small rewards offered. A common example is seen in a workforce accepting a meagre pay rise from an employer.


Personal standards often drop as a result of this fear, which could also be seen as a fear of failure. Victims regularly abuse drugs or alcohol or show bad financial discipline such as ‘retail therapy’ when a person thinks shopping can somehow make them feel better.


As with other fears, sufferers of this fear will seek the company of other victims, as they will not question their mediocre lifestyle or their avoidance of responsibility.


The Fear Of Criticism


The advent of modern mass media means this fear is becoming much more common. It includes the fear of public speaking and stage fright. So many people who are afraid to do anything themselves are ready to criticize those who take action.


Obvious symptoms are nervousness and self-consciousness. Sufferers tend to avoid making decisions or expressing specific opinions. They frequently use big words which they probably do not understand themselves, claim imaginary achievements or imitate others in dress or speech. It is interesting to note that those who make themselves out to be superior to you are overcompensating for a fear of criticism.


The fear can be quite destructive when victims become extravagant and spend beyond their income, which is another symptom.


The Fear Of Ill Health


Again the media can make this fear worse. The symptoms of illnesses are widely publicized so people feel they have the disease and the drug companies advertise the ‘cure.’ Hypochondria (imagined illness) is very much a symptom of this fear. Victims will try all the fashionable medicines or diets to deal with their supposed condition.


The power of the mind is such that the fear of a particular illness can reproduce the symptoms. Indeed the whole immune system can be affected by anxiety.


Subjects of this fear are generally looking for sympathy and attention and will act as invalids. Incredibly they may well not want to go outside, so avoiding healthy fresh air and exercise.


Conclusion


Frequently fear has been described as being ‘just in the mind.’ This is certainly true but the mind is a powerful instrument and fears can damage a person’s entire life. One lady convinced herself she was ill and retired to bed as an invalid. Her parents had to look after her. Regrettably her parents eventually passed away and, when they did, the ‘invalid’ left her bed and resumed a normal healthy lifestyle.


How many fears are holding people back from achieving their potential? These fears need to be overcome and the right motivation words found to help the victims move on.



If you want to find out about fears and how to combat them using the right motivation words, join us on a journey to success (without the hype) at InspirationMessages.com

The World Is Afraid

Whenever a person attempts to improve his or life the first obstacle to overcome is fear. Fear is everywhere and everyone has fears but not everyone admits to them.

I have several fears myself, including a fear of writing this article. What if you disagree with what I write and criticize me? Interestingly there are men and women who live their lives with courage despite facing awful situations and threats but the reality is they do not lack fear but simply act despite fear.

The definitive book on the subject must be ‘Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway’ by Susan Jeffers. In the book the author says, “Fear seems to be epidemic in our society. We fear beginnings; we fear endings. We fear changing; we fear ‘staying stuck.’ We fear success; we fear failure. We fear living; we fear dying.”

The Role Of Mass Media And Government

Fear is a tool often used by governments to control the population. An obvious example is the fear of the Jewish people encouraged by the Nazis in the 1930s through propaganda. Politicians use fear to ensure the population relies on state protection. A modern example is the present fear of terrorism. In the film ‘V for Vendetta,’ the dictator instructs his council ‘Tell the people why they need us.’

Products are sold through fear in the mass media. The insurance industry in particular employs this. I received a leaflet in the mail promoting travel insurance. The slogan ran ‘What happens if you get detached from your baggage?’ We are told what terrible things can happen to us and the only way to get peace of mind is to buy the product.

Significant sources of fear are television programmes and the news media. There are relatively few robberies and murders and yet the detailed reporting of them means that grown adults are afraid of going out after dark. This is helped by the passion for horror movies. After work one night I decided to relax by going for a walk. At one point along my route I encountered a group of youths who started to move away as I approached. The reason for this only came to me later; I had been wearing a black hat with a wide brim and a large, dark overcoat and it was Halloween. They had been conditioned to fear me!

The Effects Of Fear

Ignorance leads to fear and creates many of the destructive deeds of history. Examples include the pursuit and execution of religious heretics and witch-hunts. But instances are not confined to history. In 2000 a British national newspaper ran a campaign against suspected paedophiles. On the Paulsgrove housing estate in Portsmouth this lead to riots and lynch mobs. Incredibly one of the victims of this hysteria was not a paedophile but a paediatrician at a local hospital.
Fear is so deep rooted in society that it needs to be identified and the causes removed before anyone can pursue a better life. Only then can methods such as inspiration messages be employed.

Come over to InspirationMessages.com to learn how about fear and how to combat it, and then join us in a journey to get what we want out of life - without all the hype!