Fear Is A Liar – Four Practices To Conquer Your Fears
Note from Kimanzi: This is a guest post from Ryan Paul Ridgway Founder of Ridgway Business Group & WeeklyHustle.com, which is a one-stop online platform and knowledge base for success-minded individuals and aspiring entrepreneurs. Check out the site and follow us on Twitter. If you would like to guest post on this blog, email a post to kimanzi@talesofwork.com
You will often times find… Wait a second, let me rephrase that. You will always find that whatever you fear is irrational if you place it into a bigger context. I was sitting at work the other day when I was prompted with a number to make a sales call on. This is no big deal considering I make about 150 calls a day. However, this call in particular had some amazing potential to be a very large and continuous client. I froze. I stumbled through Google searching for the company’s background and further information that would assist me in developing a successful pitch. I gave a large sigh and then pressed dial. “Beep, beep, beep, this number has been disconnected or has been changed.” Do you see my point? I freaked myself out. My fear of stumbling through my words on the phone caused me to waste 15 minutes of my time, just to find out that the number was not working, as opposed to simply calling the lead and qualifying them just as I do every other call. For anyone who has worked in sales, you know how important 15 minutes can be, so no explanation necessary.
That’s a small example but it was the first thing that came to my head. There are a lot of people out there (yes, even me and you) that let fear completely seep into the grooves of their life. Often times, you don’t even realize it’s happening before you’re faced with a situation and tense up. Below are four practices you can utilize to help eliminate your fears. They’re all irrational anyways. Don’t ever let fear hold you back or prevent you from achieving your dreams ever again!
1. Analyze Your Fear
The next time your faced with a tensing or awkward situation, I want you to ask yourself this: “Will the outcome of this action or decision potentially affect me negatively for the rest of my life?” Unless you’re considering trying skydiving without a parachute for the first (and last) time, the answer will most likely be no. The next time you’re sitting in the office lobby waiting for that big job interview, stay calm. Tell yourself that you’re the best. These other guys don’t have anything on you! Analyze your thoughts to believe if they don’t pick you for the position, there’s plenty of other employers that will.
2. Gradually Overcome Your Fear
I’m a High Octane type of guy, and frankly I don’t like this method too much. However, it can be very practical and work very effectively for many people. The concept of gradual desensitization has been employed many times throughout the course of psychological history. One example that immediately comes to mind is a story I remember from my high school psych class. A man was so afraid of snakes that if he even viewed a picture of one, he would immediately bust into tears. The next page in our text-book had a picture of him laying next to a few hundred snakes in a bathtub. After a few months of slowly confronting his fears in a gradual manner, he was able to finally live a life of normalcy when it came to visiting places like a zoo or pet store, and unexpectedly became somewhat of a bad ass in the process.
3. Hold Yourself To The Highest Standard
Who’s your hero? Who do you admire when it comes to your own dreams and goals? The next time you’re faced with an intimidating situation that pertains to your success, I want you to ask yourself what they would do. Other’s may live a life of normalcy, but if you want the utmost success within your respected field or ambitions, you need to set the bar high. Observe the masses and do the opposite.
4. Confront Your Fears Head On
Yes! Any “go-getter” out there will truly appreciate this one. Take your big toe out of the water and just jump in already! Chances are that cold water may shock your system for a second, but it’s often smooth sailing after that. If you have an issue with someone, tell them how you feel in the nicest way possible. If you’re faced with a tough decision, have confidence and faith that regardless of your decision, you know your judgment better than anyone else out there. You chose that decision for a reason. Stick with it, embellish it, and don’t live in fear any longer!
I hope these four practices will enable you to live a life of complete and utter freedom!
How do you conquer fear?
