Curing Fear
People have all sorts of fears. Fear of embarrassment, fear of
people, fear of failing. Often times, friends or families try to
relief our fear by telling us "It's OK, there is nothing to be
afraid of, its only XX" or "It's only in your imagination". We
all know those remarks do very little to calm our nerves. Fear
is real. Fear is not an imagination. Fear, uncertainty, lack of
confidence explains why millions of people accomplish little ,
make little money, and enjoy little. Fear is the roadblock to
change and growth, preventing you from overcoming your
insecurity and preventing you from trusting in others.
So how do we cure fear? Dr. David J. Schwartz said it best when
he said "Action cures fear". When you take action, you build
confidence and annihilate fear! For example, minutes, hours or
even days before a big presentation, some of us get extremely
nervous. Just as you are about to step up to the stage, it feels
nauseating, but once you begin,.....hey, it ain't that bad!
Taking the first step is usually the scariest, after that, we
just cruise through.
Waiting and worrying is what feeds fear and makes it grow,
action stops feeding fear and terminates it.
When we face problems, we get stuck in the ditch until we take
proper action. Hoping to get out of the ditch is a start, but
hope gets you nowhere without action. If we don't take actions,
we get stuck there forever. When you face fear, do not falter.
Look at fear in the eyes and ask yourself, "Why am I afraid, and
what actions can I take to overcome this fear?" Isolate your
fear and take action. Do not run away or evade your fear. Face
it, and overcome it or fear will come back to haunt you.
Below are a few types of fear and some possible actions to
overcome it.
Embarrassment because of personal appearance - Improve it. Groom
yourself better. By some better clothes, get a friend who is a
good dresser to help you. Try to get a good haircut, it can make
a big difference. Go to a gym if you want to tone your body.
Fear of failing an exam - If you have time to worry about that
then use that time to study. Try not to start studying just days
before exams. Make your preparations earlier. Also, if you fail
to graduates or something, you can try again or pursue other
interests that will provide for your future. Good grades aren't
everything. Work on other skills that will help you in your
career.
Fear of rejection - Afraid to get a date because you are afraid
he/she might turn you down? Well, if you don't try, you won't
know if he/she will reject or accept you. Don't worry too much
about your baseless presumptions. The more times you try the
better chances to find one that will agree. If you get rejected,
don't grief too long. Move on, there are other fishes in the
sea. Or just be friends, its always good to know more people
right?
Fear of taking risks - You fear taking risks because you are
afraid of failure. In life, it's about taking calculated risks.
There can be no success without failure. We learn from failure
to become successful. A successful person is not determined by
how he makes risk free decisions, but how he overcomes obstacles
and failures in his path.