16 Ways to Overcome Fear (step-by-step)
As we approach the start of 2017 many people are busy setting new year resolutions and setting goals that range from financial – including achieving wealth and success to health/fitness activities to career or entrepreneurial goals. Your fears can stem from a mixture of fear of failure or success or just fear of the unknown.
Some fears are healthy in small to moderate doses and need to be overcome if you want to be successful in life. Other fears which perpetuate negativity are simply not worth your time or effort and may just be symptoms of stress and anxiety. Being able to “unpack” your fears in a systematic and meticulous way will be essential to living your best life ever!
Here are 16 steps to overcoming your fears:
- Define it
The very first step is defining your fears. Is it a fear of heights? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Defining it will help to reveal a lot about why you have these fears and will also help you to determine a plan of action.
- Understand it
How does it come on? How does it make you feel? Is it an intense gut-wrenching feeling that overpowers you? Or is it just butterflies? The level of intensity will tell how deep of a fear this is and how it affects you both physically and emotionally.
- Channel your intuition
Your intuition is your absolute guide – and is never wrong. If a little voice keeps nagging about getting over it – chances are you need to get over it already!
Read: Learning to Trust Your Business Intuition
- Contextualise it
How detrimental is this fear to you achieving your goals? Is it a barrier to success? Honest answers to these questions will help determine how much of a plan you need to conquer it.
- Determine whether its real
Sometimes its just not real – but what if I don’t make it? What if he doesn’t like me? What if they laugh at my ideas – these are usually artificial barriers that we put ourselves and then worry about the “what ifs” in life.
- Decide whether its worth your time (Positive or negative?)
Is giving this fear my wholehearted attention worth the time and effort? Will negativity consume me and lead to toxicity? Or is getting over this fear a positive step in achieving true success?
- Approach it head on
Once you’ve decided that it needs your time and attention – attack it head on. Devise a plan of action and stick to it – this is surely part of your personal growth and will only make you stronger.
- Channel your spirituality
Seek spiritual advice if you need additional support – this can be key in also overcoming your fears.
- Ask for help
Seek out experts in the area, join a community of support and seek out online resources that can help you overcome your fear.
- Educate yourself
Some fears are based on personal experiences, childhood trauma or abuse of even tragedy, loss and grief. Educate yourself about your fears and how they came to be. The more you are educated about it – the better you will be at overcoming it.
- Visualize success
What will success look like? How good will that feel? Depending on the intensity of your fears, visualizing success will surely bring about positive feelings and confidence to execute your strategies in overcoming fears.
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- Have a positive attitude
A positive attitude will help you get through the entire process – surely there are many people who are on the same path – know that you are not alone and you are on the past to a better life.
- Learn from mistakes
Learning from mistakes is essential in life. If you make a mistake its not the end of the road – just try and try again.
- Take Action
Have a concrete plan – a fear of public speaking for instance requires that several actions be taken to overcome it. Joining a toastmasters club or just practicing to speak in situations that would otherwise be intimidating like being a presenter at a large conference or workshop – are all practical steps you can take.
- Step out of your comfort zone
When you form the habit of doing something that scares you, your courage grows little by little. Soon enough, the barriers that once were holding you back vanish and your potential maximizes tremendously.
16.Embrace it
You may want to fully embrace your fear once you’ve conquered it – becoming an expert at it and passing on your new experiences to others who are going through the same experiences will show that you have truly embraced it.
Do you have more strategies for overcoming fear? Let us know how you’ve overcome your fears.