In the deepest darkest recesses of our minds, we all have things that we are afraid of or situations that we would rather not have to deal with if we had a choice. In fact, if we engage in a certain level of introspection, we can probably identify the root cause of those fears, whether it is something from our childhood, or a life experience that went wrong, which now causes a certain level of anxiety when it occurs.
We Must Face Our Fear To Reach Our Full Potential
No matter the cause, getting a handle on fear must take place if we are going to reach our full potential as leaders or followers in organizations. Moreover, in our personal lives it’s also imperative to confront and move beyond our fear if we are going to thrive and live our best lives now!
Fear has been described as “FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL” or the embracing of ideas that point to disastrous outcomes or failure with no basis for the reasoning behind those perceived outcomes.
We Must Identify the Root Cause of Our Fear and Address It
First things first, we must identify the root cause of the fear and address it. How do we address it? Do your homework by going back over the pages of your life (see my previous article on journaling) and look for patterns or experiences that point to mental markers related to fear. If it’s embedded deeper than what your journaling will reveal or the experience goes back even further, then gather feedback from others in your circle, who may be aware of impactful life events.
Once identified, we can now do the work to replace those faulty mental markers with self-mastery moments or positive outcomes that will build up resistance to fear. From a business standpoint, look to others who have gone through some of the same things that are causing you fear, i.e., making payroll or dealing with tough employee decisions or even supervisory tasks.
Connect with a business and leadership mentor or coach who can help you navigate real dangers and those that you have created from your own perspective.
To Thrive We Must Face Our Fear
At the end of the day, unless we face our fears we may miss out on the wonderful opportunity to thrive during this lifetime. You are more important than that and you owe it to yourself to do the work while overcoming fear to create your best life now. As we quickly approach 2016, allow this note to be your rallying cry and let’s go make it happen…!
If you have not already, please stop by and leave a comment or post on my Facebook Page and share how you have overcome fear in your own life.
