How to move past your fears

Fears can be debilitating, often creeping in without us noticing and always stopping us from moving ahead with our lives and the things that are important to us. Fear can lead to confrontation or escape, it’s a commonplace emotion that obstructs our potential and can paralyze our dreams.

Did someone use the F word?

It happens quite frequently and it’s pretty common. Almost every adult and child has experienced fear to varying degrees, in one form or another, and no one really wants to talk about it publicly. 

 And whether The most elusive part of fear is its manifestation.  It shows up differently for everyone and is often misunderstood or misinterpreted.  It spans the alphabet from avoidance, anger, anxiety, to zoning out - FEAR is a powerful voice that screams for attention in our heads when we need it least!

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”
— Lousia May Alcott

Here are 5 suggestions to quell that voice:

1)    Acknowledge its presence – don’t ignore it, it’s very devious and knows how to claim your attention often rendering you ineffective and feeling helpless.

2)    Own it – take charge and use it to your advantage.  Talk about it so it loses its power/potency.

3)    Get in touch with what you are trying to do and create an action plan for yourself to move forward and get it done!  Taking stock of what your are feeling and create a pathway forward which offers you choices will empower you to make the necessary decisions.

4)    Be intentional in your language and choose positive self- reinforcement to overcome the negativity – for example “I know I will get a job” – not “I hope that I might get a job

5)    Know that you are not alone –everyone has fear but those who push through gain strength and lose that helpless feeling.

 Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Pay attention to those wise words and you will see that you can do more than you ever imagined if you take action in the present and not be scared by the unknown.