Fear is the number one factor that stops anyone from doing anything. It is an innate state of being in which we all have experienced before in some capacity. Fear paralyzes and debilitates people, and is the main reason so many fail to take decisive action in their lives. Like any other emotion, fear can be conquered and overcome, however it is not an easy feat. As an instinct, fear is designed to keep us safe from danger. In the world we live in today, fear is what keeps us away from success because we perceive the pathway to get to that level as “risky”, or “dangerous”. Recognizing and overcoming fear is the only way you can hope to reach financial freedom. There are a few main sources of fear that we will go over in the remaining sections of this blog that need to be overcome. When you read on and a fear we go over relates with you and how you feel, don’t become discouraged. Understand you are not alone and that you’re in control of your own mind and thoughts. If and how you overcome fear will be completely up to you, and with that, you will be able to shape your own destiny.
Fear of poverty
Poverty is a large fear most people face in their lives. This leads these people to take the “safe route” in life, get a “safe” job, and live in mediocrity. People fear the concept of poverty so much that they drive themselves to mediocrity instead of success. The possibility of poverty and the fear they have for that possibility outweighs the desire for success in most people. When one fears poverty, they are set up and on track to have their fears become a truth. In reality, people should be fearing mediocrity much more than they fear poverty. Mediocrity stems from the fear of poverty, and leads to regret, lack of success, and wasted potential. The best way in my opinion to rid yourself of this fear is to affirm to yourself the ability you have to be successful at anything you choose daily, and take decisive action to achieve that success. Nothing stomps fear out like desire backed with a plan and supported by action! Although this can be a very difficult fear to overcome depending on your background, it is absolutely necessary to achieve high levels of success.
Fear of criticism
Every day, there are those who make decisions based on what other people might think or say about those decisions. Herein lies another dream-killing fear, the fear of criticism. Criticism can be both constructive and detrimental depending on the context and circumstances. People who are told from a young age that they are unworthy in any way are likely to inherit the negative trait that has been reinforced to them. This is the power of criticism. People begin to believe what is said about them and eventually become whatever it is if they’ve been told they are. It is for this reason that criticism is such a powerful thing especially for young, impressionable people. From this stems an innate sense of fear for criticism. People don’t want others to judge, talk about, or form negative opinions of them. Fearing criticism is not something you can do if you want to be a success because on that road, you will inevitably face it. You will have people doubting you and saying things you can’t or shouldn’t be doing. To overcome this, you need to have willpower, and to acquire willpower, you will need to continuously improve your mental toughness and endurance. In a constructive way, some criticism can be good because it helps you find weaknesses in yourself so you can continuously improve. Getting over the fear of criticism involves developing a filter in which you can decipher the garbage from the real constructive criticism and use that to improve yourself.
Fear of failure
The biggest reason for failure at anything is because you never get started. This fear is so paralyzing that it literally keeps people from even trying to do anything worthwhile. In a way, this fear encompasses the previous two fears under a single umbrella. Each of these fears stems from the fear of failing at something. To overcome this fear, you must look at failure in a different light rather than the traditional sense. Failure is an opportunity for you to learn from your mistakes, get better, become more prepared, and try again. Failure means the universe is trying to tell you you’re missing a piece of the puzzle and if you look hard enough, you may be able to find it within a failure. Fear is everywhere and in the minds of almost everybody. Start overcoming these majors fears little by little and watch your success skyrocket.