Overcoming Fear In 3 Simple Steps

Do your fears intimidate or immobilize you?
Are your fears keeping you from making an important decision?
Have your fears caused you to be overly concerned with the “what ifs” of life?

If any of the questions above ring true for you, the next question is: How long will you allow your fears to control you? If you are ready to begin changing your mindset and overcoming your fears, please keep reading.

There are three simple steps to overcome the fears in your life:

• Identify your fears
• Assess each one
• Create a plan of action

Often times, fear is simply being afraid of fear. But once you identify what you are afraid of, you begin to limit that fear’s power over you. As you assess a fear, many times you discover that it is simply the result of a faulty mindset brought on by negative self-talk or negative comments from others. However, if you determine that the fear is valid, then it can be overcome by implementing the final step and creating a plan of action.

Let me illustrate these steps for you. Let’s say you want to find a new job, but you are afraid of failure.

Step 1: You have identified the fear: you are afraid of failure.

Step 2: Assess that fear by exploring where it came from. You may have had a negative interview experience in the past, and you are afraid of repeating that, or you may not feel qualified to do the job for which you want to apply. The first of these contributing factors is simply a limiting belief developed from a prior experience. The other, however, is valid. This leads us to the final step.

Step 3: If it is a limiting mindset or belief, such as the first example in Step 2, recognizing it for what it is and realizing where it came from can help you change that belief. There may have been a number of other factors regarding your perceived lack of success in that prior interview. By evaluating that fear and possible contributing factor, you can disable it by realizing that the prior experience was isolated and not indicative of every interview in which you will be involved. The second possible factor, however, requires more doing than thinking. If there is a job you desire but you do not have the knowledge or skill set to accomplish it, you are faced with a decision: seek a different type of employment, or determine what skills you need to develop in order to be qualified. Once you have decided which option suits you best, you are then in a position to formulate the details of a plan of action based upon your decision.

If you would like to map out your fears, assessment, and plan of action, I offer a free tool that will help you do just that. Send an email to me and request the FEAR FACTORS worksheet to get you started overcoming your fears in 3 simple steps.