This post will take a look at how fear can hold you back from achieving your goals — in this case, preventing you from creating and promoting your personal brand. Through understanding how fear works and impedes progress, you will be able to push it aside and take the action you need to reach your goals.
This post has particular meaning for me because two weeks ago today I was involved in a bad car accident — the SUV I was in was broadsided by another SUV that ran a red light at an intersection. It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, followed by the most surreal and thankful moments of my life — I have never been so aware of the fact that I was alive.
How lucky were we?
The reporting officers that night later told me when they arrived on scene they thought there were at least four or five fatalities because of the damage to the vehicles — luckily, everyone involved in the accident walked away with very minor injuries, but it was only a matter of inches and the outcome would have been very different for all of us.
If there are such things as miracles in this world, this was one of them.
In the days following the accident I did a lot of reflection and one of the thoughts I had is that there is no place in this world for fear, especially if it is preventing you from reaching your goals. You only get so much time to live and it can all end in a second, without notice. So, I encourage you to go achieve your dreams and to never let fear hold you back.
I hope you find this post inspiring.
What is fear?
Fear is an emotion that stems from one’s belief or belief system about someone, something or a situation. It is a powerful emotion that greatly influences behavior.
If you overcome your fear of doing something you will do that thing far more often. When fear goes down, confidence goes up, and when you’re confident your chances of success are exponentially higher.
How fear affects confidence
I was once part of a team building exercise on a ropes course where the power of fear and its effect on outcomes became very clear. Our group was geared up and ready to go and the instructor asked us to walk across a 30 foot wooden plank laying flat on the ground. Everyone in the group was able to complete this task easily and confidently.
Then the instructor walked us to our second challenge where we found the exact same plank laying over a giant hole about 200 feet deep. He asked us to walk across — the first person in our group hesitated and so did everyone else.
The instructor then asked us why we couldn’t walk across the same wooden plank we had just confidently conquered. The answer was clear. We believed we might fall — this belief created fear, our confidence in completing the task was destroyed and no one took action. (Nobody actually crosses this plank over the giant hole, it us only used to illustrate fear.)
Lucky for us, most goals and dreams in life are not a matter of life or death, they are only a matter of succeeding or not succeeding. If you fail or make a mistake you do not fall into the 200 feet deep black hole. The only fear that exists in life is the fear we create on our own.
So how do we overcome our fear? Here are some tips.
1.) Seek knowledge. You can teach yourself anything.
2.) Practice, Practice, Practice.
3.) Emulate and model successful individuals.
4.) Believe in yourself and take action.
5.) Believe that your goals are possible and persist until they come true.
Get out there and start creating and promoting your personal brand. And remember, fear is just a manifestation of your mind and is only real to the extent you believe it is.
