The 5 Reasons To Tame That Fear And One Way To Get It Done!

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Monday Morning Motivation: The 5 Reasons To Tame That Fear And One Way To Get It Done!

By Rene Syler / January 7, 2013 / 7 Comments

Monday Morning Motivation:
The 5 Reasons To Tame That Fear And One Way To Get It Done!

Hola GEMs! Happy Monday!

I’m curious about something; what is is that scares you? I’m not talking about a few extra pounds on the scale either. I’m talking about the thing that keeps you up at night, white-knuckling the covers when you’re supposed to be sleeping. We all have those fears but, as I tell my kids, it’s really all in how you handle them.

Fear is not all bad; when we had to be on the lookout for lions or bears that might cross our path (and had only a pointed stick with which to fend them off), you can see where it was a matter of survival. But now our fears tend to be more of the intangible variety and harmful to.

When I look back on my life and career, the times that I made the, how can I put this, least-wise decisions, were when they were fear-based. I won’t say worst decisions because I think in every sitution there is learning. But when I look at them through the prism of perspective, I see where I screwed up and why I won’t do that again.

So here are the 5 reasons you MUST tame that fear.. tab through to the end because I’ll share with you the way I handle those boogie monsters.

FEAR IS PARALYZING

This is what I think is one of the most troubling aspects of fear. You’ve heard of “paralysis of analysis”? That happens when you look at a problem from so many different angles, chew on it, weigh it, look at it again from other angles, think on it, talk about it and on it goes. Soon you’ve spent (wasted) a significant amount of time on an issue and not only have you NOT made a decision, you’ve built whatever it is up into a larger issue that it is in real life! Don’t do that!

Read more: Ask Rene: How Can I Halt The Hate?

FEAR IS UNHEALTHY

Well actually certain types of stress are. Remember in high school we learned about the fight or flight response? That’s the body’s natural reaction to distress. Back in the days when the fear was very real (as in you might round the corner and see a lion with nothing but a pointed stick with which to defend yourself), now that fear comes from less lethal places but the body reacts similarly. Worried about losing your job? Creates stress. The economy? Creates stress. Aging? Creates still more stress.

By the way, all of those things (outside of certain aspects of the job) you cannot control, thereby creating stress and the subsequent physical response with no way to resolve it.

FEAR PROMPTS BAD
DECISION-MAKING

Oh man can I relate!

In the not too distant past, I was working with an organization. Initially I thought it was a good deal; it was going to be a small but steady paycheck and I needed the money for my business. I jumped at the opportunity, ignoring the nagging feeling that it was going to be more trouble than it was worth. Guess what? It WAS more trouble than it was worth. In fact I thought it was going to kill me. But I ignored all those red flags because I was fearful.

Making decisions based on fear is never the way to go!

FEAR CREATES
SELF-FULFILLING PROPHESIES

THIS! Visualization is a powerful tool used by many successful people. But it’s also used by people who don’t reach their goals? Why? Because they’re focusing on the wrong things. If you visualize something bad is going to happen, you dwell on it over and over against, well guess what? It probably will. It takes the same amount of energy to visualize good things so make that a habit.

(MOST) FEARS ARE UNFOUNDED

Okay this is where your Good Enough Mother is gonna (figuratively) grab you by the shoulders and say, “Knock it off!”

Most of the things we worry about simply aren’t going to happen. Will you lose your job? Maybe, but will that be the end of you? Probably not. Will the economy tank? Maybe, but will you shrivel up and die? No. As Buff and I always say, of the things we fear only a small portion are things we actually have any control over. Concern yourself with what you can actually do something about.

SO WHAT’S THE SECRET
TO TAMING THAT FEAR?

Well, here’s the one thing I do that seems to work every time! Go on…. turn the page—–>

Read more: Life Lessons: ME! In 2013

SHINE A LIGHT ON IT

VIOLA!

And THIS is how you tame those fears. Remember when you were a kid, convinced there was something hiding under the bed? When you turned on the light to look, lo and behold there was nothing! The same premise applies here.

For me, I think about (not dwell, focus or concentrate) on the worst case scenario. Then I speak it out loud and walk through what I would do we’re it to happen. Guess what? Typically after I say it out loud, that’s the end of it because its so ridiculous and unfounded it doesn’t make sense to continue. I shine a light, then slay the nameless, faceless monster under the bed.

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We are born with only the fear of falling and of loud noises. Instinctively that’s it. Everything else we learn to fear; and if you learn it you can unlearn it. Really think about the things you feared. How many of them actually came to fruition?

How do u handle things you fear? Are your fears real or unfounded? What exactly is it that frightens you?