Fear is a very powerful energy. It either stops us from moving forward or forces us to fight and run away. A lot of us fear what we do not understand. Countless fights, wars, and misunderstandings stem from a feeling of fear.
The feeling of the unknown, or the fear that someone is not going to do what they said they were going to do or just the simple fear of failure. Fear has fueled a lot of people to do countless of not so smart things.
Fear has a past orientation. We need to switch from our past orientation to future orientation.
Signs of Fear of Failure
- Addiction to success
- Identity entangled with success
- Procrastination
- Quitting
- Caring too much about other people’s opinions
- Avoidance to take part in activities that have a perception of risks
- Perfectionism
- Anger at other people when they give you feedback on your attempts/results
- Anger at God
- Anger at ourselves
- A tendency towards not completing an ongoing job, project, etc. (if it is a repetitive pattern)
FEAR is your Brain’s way of saying that there is something important for you to overcome.
“F-E-A-R has two meanings:
‘Forget Everything And Run” or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’
5 Ways To Conquer Your Fear
Name Your Fear Like a Living Thing, Then Process it Through Questions. Ask:
- What do you want from me?
- What is your intention?
- What do you want me to understand?
- What specific message do you have for me?
Build a Vision Instead. Visualize the New Situation When the Fear Doesn’t Exist Anymore. Ask Yourself:
- What do I want to replace my fear with?
- What if my fear disappears, what would that look like?
- Imagine the new scenario of the fear has gone. See yourself in it even for a few seconds. Repeat this active imagination 5 times.
Express Your Fear Through Aesthetic Experience.
- Paint your fear away through colors.
- Dance your fear away through movement.
- Write about your fear.
Reflecting on your fear through creativity will change your perspective. You will realize that the meaning and intensity of your fear will shift after you express your fear creatively. It might even disappear forever.
Build Your Support System.
- Find Mentors & Coaches that can support you.
- Surround yourself with people that inspire you.
- If you don’t know people that can support ask yourself: If I was coaching myself how would I support myself regarding this?
Know Your Strengths and Practice Them.
Focusing on problems all the time will not help you to have a sense of fulfillment and happiness. On the contrary, practicing your strengths will increase your motivation from inside towards life, people, and situations.
Therefore, learn about your strengths and practice how to use your strengths in challenging situations. Knowing your strengths will help you to ground yourself and stay at your core in times of stress.
Don't let fear control your life. If you give in to fear, everything you do from now onwards will be dictated by that fear and not your will to enjoy and your life. Fear can be crippling if you do not handle it well. If it is starting to get too much, we would suggest you speak to a professional coach to help you safely analyze your fear and take steps to improve it thus allowing you to move forward and leave fear behind. Become fearless.
If you are someone who is interested in becoming a coach yourself, head on over to our program page to learn our FLOW Coaching Methodologies that are deeply rooted in the Science of Positive Psychology. We can't wait to see you.