Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Challenge to Fear Less: Master Your Mindset



What scares you? Change? Challenge? Crisis?

Most of us are faced with times in life when we feel scared. It could be because of a change, traumatic event or facing uncertain circumstances. The reasons are many, but the question that comes to mind is "How do we overcome it?"  Are there ways to face life more courageously and live more securely and boldly? 

Recently on "Master Your Mindset", TV host Cassandra McShepard and I discussed how fear attempts to control us. The biggest first step toward freedom is, of course, coming toe-to-toe with your issue. Face it. Head on. Tackle it. Fight it. Beat it. Will that be easy? No, however, it boils down to who will win the fight, you or the fear. To win, you must put your energies into facing it and fighting it. Here are a few starting points:

Is it REAL, or False Evidence Appearing Real?

1. It is something to really fear, or just a perspective? Is it just a misguided thought? They say that most of what we fear futuristically never happens. Perhaps, the fear is only a misinterpretation of things to come. If you realize it is, let it go.

Do a SELF-CHECK
2. Have you done your research? One of my greatest fears was flying. I did some homework. I did some rational thinking. I applied some logical thoughts and perspectives. I concluded that I was ruining some perfectly wonderful travel times with my fears. Could something possibly happen? Sure, but the likelihood of that possibility was extremely slim. Maybe whatever it is you fear has even a lesser chance of occurring. Make a logical and rational decision to change your perspective and start moving toward getting free.

Live and LEARN
3. Don't let thoughts of failure, falling and flat-lining stop you. We sometimes put on our best hopes and dreams on hold because we don't think it will succeed, or we dread falling and not being able to get back up. We even think we may give ourselves a "heart attack" if what we desire doesn't turn out to be everything we dreamed of. Learning through failure and falling is a part of success. Even flat-lined dreams are brought back to life with a enough effort and resuscitation. No one wants to fail, but don't let your fear cause you to fail to go after your dreams.

Whether it's change, challenge or crisis, fear can be met head on and conquered. It may be one of the toughest fights you will ever experience, but it will be among the best victories, too. Take the bull by the horns. Take the proverbial leap. Stand up to your fears. Make the decision to fight more and fear less.

~ S.R.F.