“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
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