Fear can be crippling.
It can be so paralysing that your body no longer listens to your brain.
When every cell in your body screams at you to do something else, to find safety, to stay in comfort.
I know. I have felt it.
It’s understandable to feel paralysed with fear when doing scary, somewhat life threatening things like crossing the knife edge of Crib Goch, (3,028 ft) above sea level, in Snowdonia, Wales – yes, that was me (many years ago).
But for how many of us does fear have a crippling effect on a daily basis?
Leaving us feeling debilitated and unable to make decisions?
It can stop you from achieving your dreams, from challenging the status quo, from using your voice… … or even from trying something new.
In ‘11 Fears Every Entrepreneur Must Overcome’, fear of change, fear of failure, fear of the unknown and fear of taking risks are on the list. That will be a big fat “Hell, Yeah those things scare me” from me.
I doubt there are business owners who have gone through their career without experiencing fear – loss of face, loss of market share, loss of revenue, loss of job or worse still – loss of forward momentum.
Many question – ‘Can I?’, ‘Who would want to listen to me?’, ‘Do I have the experience to do this?’
Irrational fears. Yet, for some reason we can’t seem to shake them.
And when you are out of your comfort zone… Fear comes rushing in like a tidal wave.
The truth is that fear is present every day.
The difference is the form in which we choose for it to present itself.
Do you choose paralysing inaction or do you choose to turn the feeling into a powerful tool of success?
The choice ultimately is yours.
For me, it is always about facing it head-on, exploring all the options whilst breathing deeply, trusting myself, turning negative thoughts into positive “But what if it works…” and then taking the ultimate leap of faith.
Doing it.
Buddha said, “A jug fills drop by drop.” So be patient with yourself.
You can overcome your fear, one day, and one decision at a time.
The next time you feel afraid ask yourself what is really worse, trying and failing, or never trying and never growing from the point you are at now?
