Fear is a natural emotion we all experience throughout our lives. Whether it’s fear of public speaking, fear of failure, or fear of being judged, it can be difficult to overcome. However, it’s important to remember that fear is nothing more than an obstacle to be overcome on the road to success. In fact, fear should be a sign of excitement versus panic.
Here are some tips for overcoming fear and achieving your goals.
1. Understand Your Fear
The first step to overcoming fear is to understand what it is that you’re afraid of. Once you unpack your fear, you can begin to address it and find ways to overcome it. But many times our fear is a shield for what’s underneath the surface. So really sit in the feeling when it arises. Ask yourself, “Why is this happening?” Really consider the reason for the fear. Is it real? Will you die? Or is it more emotionally driven?
2. Face Your Fear Head-On
Once you know what your fear is, it’s time to face it head-on. This may mean taking some time to do some research on your fear, separate the emotional piece and look at it from an outside perspective. The important thing is that you don’t let your fear control you; instead, you take control of your fear. You do that by not avoiding the potential pain. That’s all fear really is….your mind’s way of protecting you from physical harm. But you’re probably more concerned about your social standing and not surviving in the wild.
3. Take Small Steps
When facing your fear, it’s important to take small steps rather than try to tackle everything at once. For example, if you’re afraid of public speaking, start by speaking in front of someone you trust, such as a friend or family member. Then, gradually work your way up to larger groups. Toastmasters is a wonderful way to not just build skills, but create incredible confidence in sharing your thoughts to others. It’s in every city around the world and changed my life in a big way.
4. Persevere Through Setbacks
There will inevitably be setbacks along the way as you work to overcome your fears and achieve your goals. It’s important to persevere through these setbacks and not let them deter you from your ultimate goal. Remember that every setback is an opportunity to learn and grow so that you can eventually achieve success. After winter comes spring, but it’s a challenge to see through the cold dark nights at times. Everything will pass. Sometimes it’ll feel like a kidney stone, but it’ll pass.
Fear is a natural emotion and you don’t need to avoid it. We all experience it; however, it’s important to remember that fear is nothing more than a self produced obstacle to be overcome. Imagine next time you’re facing a fearsome task but are committed to achieving your goal, follow these tips and achieve success: understand your fear; face your fear head-on; take small steps; and persevere through setbacks.
You don’t need motivation. Just top of mind awareness and commitment. Remind yourself that whatever the fear is around you it’s worth the effort. It’s worth the risk to look foolish. Because regret is way more painful to live with than fear alone.
If you apply these strategies, you’ll overcome any obstacle and achieve anything you set your mind to!
Almost every “Professional Speaker” on the planet claims they’re number one in whatever topics they speak on. It’s not how many books you’ve written that matters, but rather what best practices you can transfer to the audience, based on a proven track record.
This is where Brian Parsley isn’t your ordinary presenter. He began his career selling door to door over 30 years ago. Since then he’s been a serial entrepreneur, building three highly successful organizations and selling two over the past two decades.
Brian is currently a managing partner in the global consulting firm, The Constance Group. His work has given him the opportunity to share his methodology and allowed him to use his gifts of teaching and speaking on an international platform on topics of sales optimization, building loyal customers, and leadership strategies that drive profits.
He teaches behavioral science around why people do what they do and how to manipulate challenging scenarios with good intent. His messages are powerful but filled with humor and stories so they resonate and can be recalled.
Fun fact, Brian has close to one million followers on TikTok doing fun pranks. He may be in his 50’s, but he’ll never lose his sense of humor.