Maximizing The Power of Fear
Posted on March 31, 2015 by Tricia Ryan, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
According to Evelyn Pelczar in an article at Elite Daily, ‘Fear is both an enabler and a teacher to its own forces.’ Fear has been used for centuries
“You get in life what you have the power to ask for.” Nancy D. Solomon
According to Evelyn Pelczar in an article at Elite Daily, ‘Fear is both an enabler and a teacher to its own forces.’ Fear has been used for centuries to control people and their behaviors. But the fear of limiting your true human potential is a fear that many of us are disinclined to connect with, as it requires us to own our emotions and dig deep for the underlying reasons that hold us back from our success.
If fear is the lynch pin for why we do everything, why do we allow it to control us at so many levels, even to the point of being comfortable with what is unbearable?
A top 10 list of fears representing the top fear-related searches at search engines like Google can include:
01. Fear of flying
02. Fear of public speaking
03. Fear of heights
04. Fear of the dark
05. Fear of intimacy
06. Fear of death
07. Fear of failure
08. Fear of rejection
09. Fear of spiders
10. Fear of commitment
The focus of this article is around those fears that inhibit your success and the implementation of your dreams. In the inspirational video by Mateusz, Unbroken – Motivational Video – YouTube, one can see the power of fear and how it kills dreams, holds us back from dreams, and paralyzes us. Yet we see people succeed in spite of these fears and then we wonder ‘what is their formula for success’? It may not be so simple, but perhaps it is these fears that create our resistance. Perhaps it is only when our dissatisfaction, coupled with a vision and first step, together begin to exceed that resistance we can feel like we can change.
Three of the most common fears around your resistance to move forward to success seem to be:
Fear of Failure
Fear of Rejection
Fear of Change.
Fear of Failure
Many of us are afraid of failing, at least some of the time. But fear of failure is when we allow that fear to stop us from doing the things that can move us forward to achieve our goals. It is important to also understand that failure can mean different things to different people – much like success, there is no clear benchmark.
Common Signs of Fear of Failure
You might experience some of the following symptoms…
- A reluctance to try new things or get involved in challenging projects,
- Self-sabotage,
- Procrastination,
- Excessive anxiety,
- Failure to follow through with goals,
- Low self-esteem or self-confidence,
- Perfectionism.
Fear of Rejection
The fear of rejection is one of our deepest human fears. We are biologically wired with a longing to belong; we fear being seen in a critical way. Many of us are anxious about the prospect of being cut off or isolated. We fear being alone.
Common signs of Fear of Rejection:
You might experience some of the following symptoms…
- You lack assertiveness.
- You lack courage to speak up and raise a different point of view.
- You are dissatisfied with life.
- You’re consistently try to please other people.
- You’re extremely conscious of what other people think of you.
- You’re afraid to say no and express your opinion.
Fear of Change
Fear of change often stops us from taking action. Generally it works with anxiety, self-doubt and guilt to help it do this. While some anxiety is useful and can motivate us, there are times when anxiety about something new can severely limit us, especially if there’s uncertainty about the future.
Common signs of Fear of Change:
You might experience some of the following symptoms…
- Unpleasant awareness of time passing,
- Need to have control over things,
- Anxiety,
- Worry,
- Feeling helpless in the face of change.
Embracing the fears that limit you can produce the feelings of owning or taking back your power. There is no better or empowering feeling. According to leadership studies, owning and understanding your body and mind are critical to your success. Being afraid is inevitable for us all, but it does not lead to or support being a success. Learning from fear and facing it is a step toward understanding and managing it. Knowing yourself can provide fruitful insights on how you approach life, as well as preparing you for your unlimited success.
To understand and obtain the resources you need to maximize your success with defining and overcoming fears, consider the FocalPoint Business Coaching Model. It will deliver progressive action by taking a proactive “one step at a time approach”, unique to you, and build on your incremental successes.
