What are you afraid of?
September 19th, 2011
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Recently, a colleague asked me how I faced my fears when I started my life coaches association and I really had to stop and think about it. I asked her what kind of fears was she thinking of. She replied, “fear of no one signing up (rejection), fear of making a mistake, fear of looking stupid, and fear of not appearing professional.
I had to admit that I had all of those thoughts but I knew what I wanted to do and I just forged ahead with it. “Feel the fear and do it anyway” was my motto.
So let me ask you…what are you afraid of? What fears are preventing you from moving forward with your dreams, or doing your great work? If you can identify them, you are on your way to overcoming them. Then think about the following:
Was Donald Trump afraid of looking stupid when he went bankrupt the first time?
Was Princess Diana afraid of making a mistake when she divorced Prince Charles?
Was Abe Lincoln afraid of looking amateurish as President when he refused to allow the southern states to secede from the union?
Was Gandhi afraid of looking stupid when he went on a hunger strike?
Was Mark Zuckerberg afraid no one would sign up when he started Facebook?
I’m sure you can think of more examples and the answer to all of these questions is no. All of these people did what they knew they had to do regardless of the consequences. They believed in themselves and they believed in their dream. And this is what you need to do in order to overcome your fears. When you look at it that way it isn’t so hard.
Believing in yourself and believing in your dreams should be easy. Instead of focusing on fear, focus on your passions, goals, and desires. It’s just a matter of shifting your attention, which is the great Law of Attraction technique. Attracting what you want is based on what you have your attention on. It’s not that hard to shift your attention, is it?
Of course not! This is how you overcome your fears. Identify them, face them openly, acknowledging them, and then shift your attention to what you need to do and take inspired action.
Remember that all successful people had many failures before they became successful. That’s because they took action that they felt compelled to take in spite of their fears and misgivings. When they failed, they used it as a learning curve, or stepping stone to the success they desired. Don’t be intimidated by successful people, be inspired by them. Face your fears and get on with your great work.
The world will not be complete unless you share the gifts you came here with, and act on your hunches and gut feelings as to what you came here to do. Listen to your inner guidance and follow your dream into your own reality. When you believe in yourself, you can trust the Universe to work everything out for you.
What fears have you overcome? Please share your experience in the comments below.
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“All of these people did what they knew they had to do regardless of the consequences.” You got it! Fear is merely an illusion. It is something that we have developed on our own. Although the fear is real, it doesn’t have to limit us. We must ignore it and move forward. We must not be scared to fail. Believe in yourself!
Thanks for the reminder, Jeannette!
Great examples Jeannette! And having just emerged from a bout of fear in the last few weeks, I will be honest and say that shifting my focus to what I wanted was NOT easy.
For me, it was doing what Abraham-Hicks talks about when in this place — chill out and let the wave take you back to a place of feeling good. Yeah, yeah that Law of Attraction thing…;) It worked for me and gave me a reference for when I feel fear…to know that it’s something that won’t stop me, but that I WILL move through…
Thanks Jeannette for the opportunity to share…smile
Excellent post Jeannette. The older I get the less fear I have. I lived in the space of fear in my twenties and thirties. My life reflected my fear. As I learned to trust a power greater than myself (God, Source, Higher Power, Universe) my fear is almost nonexistent. When it crops up, which it does on occasion, I simply need remember my life is the message and I am the vessel.
Fear is probably the biggest procrastinator of all our life experiences. After reading your article Jeannette, it reminded me way back when I started school. That first day of school I remember always having butterflies and being fearful of what others would say how I looked, what I wore or how I talked.
Even when I landed my first full time job, the fear of keeping it loomed until I felt more confident in what I was doing. And now fast forward to today, it does all boil down to stepping out of your comfort zone, making that move, and just doing it. I look back at all the mistakes and fumbles I made, but sure glad I did or I wouldn’t have learned a thing!
I really enjoyed you sharing how even our most successful people we know have had their fair share of ‘fearful’ moments but it certainly did not stop them.