Simple, Powerful Tips to Face Your Fear - Lisa E Betz
What are you afraid of? Fear can be a healthy response designed to keep us from life-threatening situations (like poisonous snakes, dangerous cliffs, or dark alleys). However, most of the time the fearful feeling in your gut isn’t caused by life-or-death situations. Instead of protecting you, fear often keeps you stuck. To move forward, you need to face your fear.
How does fear keep us stuck?
Fear keeps us from taking action. We fear change, the unknown, and our ability to handle what might happen.
Here are some common fears that can keep us from moving forward, making positive change, or pursuing worthy dreams.
- Failing or making mistakes
- Looking (or sounding) stupid or foolish
- Criticism or worry over what others think
- Rejection or retaliation
- Imposter syndrome
- Making the wrong decision
- Starting a big or intimidating task
- The potential for unpleasant consequences
- The energy required for the task would be more than I can cope with
- Being in the spotlight
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Fear is a big problem. For all of us. We can allow it to defeat us day after day, or we can begin to face our fear and move past it.
Fortunately, overcoming fear is possible. Use these simple steps to face your fear and enjoy a more satisfying, purposeful life.
Admit you are afraid
The first step to overcoming fear is to own up to it. Admit it to yourself. Admit it to God. And admit it to someone you trust.
Don’t face your fear alone
You are not in this alone. Tell your fears to God and ask him to guide, provide and full you with his peace.
Also, share your situation with trusted friends or a mentor. Tell them what you’re afraid of and what your fear is keeping you from achieving. Having others praying for you and cheering you on will boost your confidence.
Realize fearlessness is a myth
We can’t eradicate feeling of fear from our lives. Everyone struggles with it. Soldiers go into battle despite fear. Public speakers go on stage despite fear.
Successful people don’t achieve scary things because they’re fearless but because they’re courageous in the face of it. Courage isn’t a lack of fear but a willingness to act despite it.
Learn to expect it
There is nothing unusual about butterflies in our stomach before going on stage or feeling jittery before heading to an interview. Because we’re human, we should expect fear to show up when we contemplate an achievement that involves stretching ourselves or venturing into the unknown.
When we expect fear instead of being startled by its presence, we’ll find it easier to keep going instead of chickening out.
Remind yourself of times you’ve faced similar fears and survived
Think of a time when you pushed past your fear and did something despite it. We’ve found the courage to do hard things in the past. When we remind ourselves of those successes, we boost our confidence to courageously move forward today.
For example, I find attending a large out-of-state writers’ conference is intimidating. Yet I’ve done it many times. I’ve even taught workshops. When I consider traveling to a big event, my first impulse will be fear. But then I remind myself how I’ve survived in the past.
I give myself a pep talk like this: I can do this! Yes, I’m afraid. I was afraid last time, too, and look how that turned out.
You can use the same strategy to overcome the fear trying to squash your dreams and keep you stuck.
Choose to face your fear and move forward anyway
If we:
- Admit the fear
- Ask for moral support
- Acknowledge that it’s normal
- Accept we’ll never be totally unafraid
- And remember how we’ve successfully overcome similar fear in the past
Then we’re ready to make a choice.
Will I let fear win, or will I take the next step despite my fear?
I don’t want to look back and regret all the opportunities I missed because I was too afraid to try. Neither do you.
Where is fear keeping you stuck in your life? Choose today to face your fear and move forward into a better, more fulfilling life.
