In 1999 an associate gave me an audiotape by a remarkable lady. I played that tape many times. The tape eventually broke. The tape contained the recording of the book “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” by Susan Jeffers.
In summary, the author acknowledged that we will feel fear, yet stressed the importance of refusing to allow fear to control our lives and prevent us from living life as we should.
She suggested that rather than fearing fear, we take responsibility and face our fears, as ultimately we’re responsible for the results in our lives. That is a powerful space in which to position yourself.
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Feeling Extreme Fear
When was the last time you felt extreme fear? Did you allow that fear to control you or did you take the “bull by the horns” and face your fear?
Think about this for a moment? When you made the decision to get out of your comfort zone and face the fear – in whatever shape or form – was it as fearsome as you anticipated?
Too many times we allow our fears to paralyze us as we create not just barriers, but huge boulders in our mind that seem insurmountable.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “…the only thing you have to fear is fear itself.”
While these words may not be entirely true, what if you made the decision that whenever the next situation arises where you begin to feel fearful you decide to face your fears and do it anyway?
What could you achieve? Who could you become?
3 Tips to Help You Face Your Fears
Sometimes it’s easier to give the advice than for the person affected to make changes. Following are three simple tips to help you overcome your fear, especially if you are an entrepreneur were facing your fears can equate with enjoying success in your business.
Identify Your Fears
In order to overcome your fears, it’s essential that you identify them. It also helps to identify your goals.
What has fear got to do with your goals, you may ask?
When you know exactly what it is you want to accomplish, as well as what you don't want, it allows you to stay focused on achieving more of what you want and that includes pursuing your goals.
In addition, becoming aware of what your biggest fears and challenges may be, will help you to be prepared to face them and create a solid action plan of how to deal with them even before they arise.
Become Discontented with Mediocrity
Mediocrity and scarcity go hand-in-hand. People who tend to quit when things get tough are usually dwelling on scarcity.
They accept what little they have and avoid trying harder to accomplish what they want in life.
In fact, they usually have become so content in their comfort zone that they’re unable or unwilling to accept the fact that in order to rise above mediocrity, they will usually encounter fears along the wire. Many find it hard to believe that growth of any kind in business comes about because you become discontented with mediocrity and want to achieve your full potential.
Accept that it’s OK to Start Small
As you become discontented with mediocrity and accept that you need to make changes, you must recognize that it’s ok to start small in working to overcome them. As you work at overcoming your bigger challenges, be aware that breaking them down into smaller steps can make it easier to keep moving forward.
When you start small, it can help to reduce your fears. At the same time, it forces you to take action.
Starting small may also include reaching out to a mentor or accountability partner to keep you on track so you avoid falling back into negative patterns of behavior.
Being willing to face your fears -on takes guts. It also takes a decision that you’re willing to move out of your comfort zone to achieve success in your life and business.
What do you believe are the biggest sources of fear in your life right now? What action will you take to keep moving forward? What challenges do you experience that prevent you from moving forward?
Please share in the comments or reach out to me by email: Yvonne [@] YvonneAJones.com
Here is a short audio (less than 3 minutes) in which some of the thoughts mentioned above are
highlighted:
