Sometimes we have a great idea, it could be a business, a move, a new hobby or (leaving or entering) a relationship but you are not making moves. Maybe you started something or maybe you never did. But it feels like having your feet frozen to the ground, unable to step or pivot in any direction.
Fear can be a good thing. It’s just a signal that tells us, whoa, this might be dangerous! But when it keeps you from doing the thing that you really want to do, it becomes something you need to get past. Because fear can make you miss out on some of the best experiences of your life.
When you miss out on life because of fear, regret can hit strong. Because fear is not tangible, but it is very, very real. It can come from past stories you tell yourself about being inadequate or unworthy or can be completely imagined and unlikely, but you can’t see that.
You do not have to eliminate fear to get around it. Because like we said before, fear is not always bad. The first thing to do is stop and consider whether the fear is worth looking at a little closer, or is it so ridiculous that you need to try to forget about it. If you decide to examine it, take a step back and look at it from a different perspective than you have been. You can view it as if you were a different person, or just yourself in a different position. See if you feel differently about the situation.
It is very important that you practice trusting yourself. Because there is no use examining and analyzing if you can’t even feel confident in the outcome. If you continue to doubt your judgment, the work would have been for naught. And how do you do that? You pay attention to the small everyday decisions you make and take note of successes, or good outcomes, no matter how small. That way, you start to build confidence in yourself, which will build that trust that you need.
Look for inspiration in people who you admire or who have accomplished difficult things. These wins are proof that things are in fact possible. If they can do it, why can’t you? It’s okay if you feel you need to brush up on some skills or knowledge but be very careful not to get caught up with never ending chase after unnecessary credentials. This is just a procrastination tool that should be avoided.
Finally, when the fear really seems like it’s kicking your ass, just remind yourself over and over that fear doesn’t really exist anywhere but inside your head. And then if you can take slow deep breaths to help normalize your nervous system, even better. Understand that fear is just a thing, we all have it, and it doesn’t need to stop you from doing anything you want to do, if you so decide.
