In the next few weeks, I will be looking at moving this little blog forward, I enjoy it – I hope you do also – and am looking to see how far this venture will take me. But with all that excitement and anticipation comes fear…

Have you ever had to start something new? If you had been the one to instigate the change, it came with anticipation and excitement. If it wasn’t your idea, the idea can bring on so many emotions that they are hard to decipher. Fear being the biggest of all.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Fear as: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.

Well, I don’t know about danger, but how about unknown…

Maybe looking at the reasons why we fear can help us move past it, or at least be better able to manage it. Here are some of the most common ‘Fears’:

• Fear of the unknown – what will the outcome be, loss of control
• Fear of failure
• Fear of shame or what I consider to be the dreaded “I told you so’s”
• Fear of wasting time or money
• Fear of success

I will admit, for myself, every one of these is a valid fear for me. Let me explain:

I am losing my job that I have held for over 12 years. I have decided that instead of working for someone else in a job that I no longer felt any personal accomplishment from, that I was going to try to make it on my own by doing something I love. I am putting my future into my hands (fear of the unknown), what if it doesn’t work out (fear of failure)- what will I do then because I am investing all these resources into it (fear of wasting time and money)? And I can just image what my family and friends would think and say because they already think I am crazy (fear of shame). But what if it takes off and I can’t keep pace (fear of success)?

So how do we overcome fear?

• Pray/Meditate
• Figuring out/defining what you are afraid of
• Fear is uncomfortable, many people rush through and make mistakes because they don’t like the feeling.
• Reevaluate expectations and adjust them
• Don’t overthink – having a plan is good, but don’t let your brain get in the way
• Jump in headfirst – Scared?! Oh yeah, sometimes the best thing to do is just jump in.
• Remember failure happens and even if you fail, you will learn something, maybe even something about yourself that you didn’t know.
• Pay attention to how you feel
• Make a plan/goal – if they are too big, make smaller ones to get you to those big ones
• Realize that procrastination is fear
• Allow yourself to daydream
• Life happens – sometimes it’s not always forward motion, sometimes you have to back up, just don’t stop.
• Reevaluate goals
• Give yourself reasons to overcome
• Find a cheerleader

I can imagine there are many other ways people have overcome their fear. How have you overcome yours?

-D