Monday Motivator – Fear Can Become a Monster If We Let It

Welcome to Halloween week. Halloween is such an interesting holiday and is becoming almost as popular as the other major holidays. The stores, boutique shops, and online businesses sell everything to decorate your home, prepare for parties, and offer all kinds of paraphernalia.

For decades October has been the month of scary movies and costumes. People love to decorate their yard like graveyards and display spooky creatures and goblins. Do you remember when you were a kid how these things scared you at Halloween? Well, maybe not you—but they certainly scared me.

Then when we get older, we look back and laugh at the things that scared us. If Halloween didn’t scare you, maybe other things did like going to the dentist or doctor. Or fear of interviewing for a new job or starting a new job.

Fear can prevent you from progressing in your career and in your personal life. It prevents you from opening up to experiences which could be rewarding. It hampers your receptivity as an individual. It has a way of becoming a “monster” if you let it fester because the more you think about the thing you fear doing, the worse it seems. When fear stands in the way of you becoming all you can be, learn to make it work for you, not against you.

There are times when F-E-A-R is nothing more than – False Evidence Appearing Real! We all have experienced it. Fear comes in different sizes and shapes, and has different faces. Recognize too that the things one person fears, you may not fear and vice versa. Be tolerant of others’ fears, because to them, the fear might be overwhelming.

The big difference between people is that for some, fear paralyzes and for others fear becomes a personal challenge. It gets their adrenaline pumping. Every time you confront your fears, you become a stronger person. You prepare yourself for bigger and greater things to come. This isn’t to say that once you conquer a fear you will never again be afraid. It’s just that when you learn to deal with a fear and experience some success in taking it on, you will be more inclined to take on the next worrisome challenge and come out on top!

7 Steps to Conquering Fear

1. Identify your fears.
2. Identify the real reasons behind #1. For example, most people have a fear of public speaking. But that really isn’t the fear. The real fear is people are afraid they will forget their material or be asked questions they can’t answer or equipment failure. List as many of the real fears as you can.
3. Ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that could happen if I try what I fear?” Things usually seem worse than they are. You grow through learning and doing what you fear. Identify the worst possible outcome and think of a fallback plan should that occur.
4. List steps you can take to overcome the fear. Be specific. Many times the only way to deal with fear is to do what you fear, provided it is not physically dangerous.
5. Put opportunity first. What is the best thing that could happen if you conquered this fear?
6. Be confident in your ability to handle new situations. Think about past events or situations that you handled successfully.
7. Consider fear a challenge. By the way, you can feel fear and have courage at the same time.

Wishing you a Happy Halloween!