THE DANGER OF BEING AFRAID
One of the biggest enemies of our personal and professional success is fear.
There’s a real danger in being afraid.
I've never really understood the appeal of Halloween. It's a time of year when people pay to be scared, and thousands of people will spend their hard-earned money to be frightened. I hate being afraid, and I don't find it entertaining at all. It's bizarre! Yet, it's such a huge part of our culture.
Perhaps I'm so hard on fear because I know how damaging it can be in real life. Over 500 phobias have been documented. In the United States, approximately 19 million people have one or more of them. That's a lot of people scared of a lot of stuff. Most of us are already afraid of something, so why spend time adding to our list?
Furthermore, the impact of living with fear is not just the occasional fright. Fear can paralyze your progress in the simplest of tasks. If left uncontested, it can keep you from living the life you desire to live. When we allow fear to dominate our minds, we become enslaved to it whether we want to or not.
It seems like a stretch to go from being afraid to jump in the pool when you were five years old to being afraid of success when you are in your twenties. But actually, it isn't. There is no junior version of fear. Regardless of your age, it produces the same kinds of physical and emotional reactions. The only thing that changes is what you give up when you give in to it.
If you're afraid to swim, you may miss out on some fun at the pool. But when you're afraid of success, you may sabotage opportunities and relationships without even realizing it.
So, what's the real cost of being afraid?
You Live With Anxiety — Living in fear leads to a constant feeling of anxiety. Being anxious produces all kinds of negative effects on our physical and emotional stability. It's hard to perform at your best when you're anxious.
You Won't Take Risk — Being willing to take calculated risks often sets high achievers apart from the average person. You won't find many people who've succeeded at a high level that didn't take a risk. Fear keeps you from being able to do this effectively.
You Won't Leave The Comfort Zone — For the record, success in life is usually found just beyond your comfort zone. When we give in to fear, our natural response is to go back to what's familiar, comfortable, and safe. But when you finally overcome your fears, you broaden your zone of comfort to include the ground you've conquered.
Ultimately, fear leads to disappointment. It’s the silent thief of potential, stealing from your ability to be great.
So what's the solution? Do something about your fears. You may want to identify what your fears are first. Once you have those identified, pick one or two of them to start overcoming. Give yourself time to develop a new habit and get the support you need.
Challenge things you're afraid of as often as you can. Fear doesn't have to rule your life.
Stay Inspired,
Sharlene
