Fear and success don’t usually go together. We see people who are successful and they seem more confident than we do. We tend to feel insecure and self-doubt when we start this comparison. Fear is usually what sets in. This happens in many aspects of our daily lives.
Sometimes it’s the little things that frighten us like spiders or small spaces but these aren’t worth mentioning when we’re wanting to design an abundant and successful life yet, it’s so difficult for us to change these irrational fears.
It’s one thing to be afraid of spiders but what about standing on stage and giving a speech or just creating a video to sell our latest offering? We can talk about how badly we want success but generally it’s the fear of following through that blocks us. It’s very different to actually doing it.
Ask yourself how many times this has happened in your life. You’re really hopeful for becoming more successful as an entrepreneur but you’re too afraid to do all of the tasks that will catapult you like starting a podcast or writing a book.
There’s a quote from Les Brown that I really love, “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears”.
This realization will impact all areas of your life if you allow it to sink in. Let’s face it, fear simply takes up too much of our time and energy. It takes up so much of our life that we begin to be upset about how we’re wasting time. When we allow fear to block our success, we’re just slowly dying because fear is literally stopping us from doing the difficult things in life and in our businesses. One thing is for sure, we’ll never receive all the abundance, happiness or success until we unblock ourselves from staying stuck in fear.
Remembering when I was homeless and didn’t know where I would get my next meal, I didn’t even realize that I had taken such a powerful step of change. I was so afraid of abandoning the abuse, that I continued to stay for far too much until the fear gave way to a sense of satisfaction with my own life. “I’d rather be homeless than be abused”, I said to myself.
I continued to run my brick and mortar spa for many years, but I couldn’t let go of it because I was afraid. It was my dream to own a business that I could operate from home and help people build better lives. When I saw fear, I was free to sell my business and launch the consulting and coaching business I have loved for seven years.
“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you’ve ever struggled with overcoming fear in your own life so much that you felt like it had a crippling hold on you, I want to share with you five super simple hacks to help you conquer the fear and move forward towards your goals.
1. Do breathwork
Generally when we’re experiencing fear, you’ll notice anxiety. You’ll feel it throughout your whole body in your nervous system. This can lead to panic attacks and spiraling out of control. Before you get to that point, you should practice breathingwork to calm down your nerves. It’s simple to do, take a deep breath in and slowly breathe out. If you think you’re up against something particularly nerve wracking on a given day that terrifies you, just try breathwork or even a short meditation. This calms me down and allows me to take on the more difficult tasks.
2. Be kind to yourself
We tend to do what we can to give all sorts of reasons to back away from what we’re afraid of. Instead work more consciously to notice you’re listing all of the reasons to back away, then begin listing why it could work and actually be a positive experience. This is where you can talk yourself into doing it. To my clients, I tell them to never forget that they can achieve anything. You can see so many successful people doing what you want to do and just notice that they’re not better or smarter than you. Repeatedly declare to yourself that you’re bold and courageous and that you’ve got this!
3. A job well done is a gift
Unfortunately, this is a common mistake. It’s so difficult for us to reward ourselves or to celebrate our wins. Yet, it’s a success strategy most wealthy people practice with each goal attained. Like with the tip above, reframe that inner voice and in this case, tell yourself that you’ll get a very special reward once you’ve achieved this goal. You can even get a small reward such as an evening out with your friends at your favorite restaurant. When there is a special reward waiting for us, it’s so much easier to keep moving forward with commitment.
4. Visit the future YOU
Sometimes, you just need some help. A little hand-holding is needed when we just can’t seem to muster up the courage. This is my favorite hack and it’s borrowing the strength and courage from the future version of yourself. There is a future version of yourself that can do all the things you desire and have all the success, money and joy you deserve. This is how to tap into your future self by picturing yourself as successful. Imagine how you’d feel and act if you’d already achieved these goals. Because this is the hack that wins athletes, it really does work!
5. Accept the need to receive support
As with anything, sometimes you can’t succeed without a little help. There’s no doubt that you can DIY just about anything but when you’re really struggling, you can begin searching for a support group to help guide you through it. Maybe you’re having trouble getting on camera to do a Livestream or create a video, give yourself grace and go get a mentor. It is important to remember that not only are the richest but also the best athletes and most wealthy people have coaches. This fear can be hardwired in your subconscious. A support group may help you to overcome it.
Fear is normal, it’s a part of everyone’s life. It can be crippling when it grips on to us but when it seems like it just won’t let go of us, it’s just too easy to stay complacent but that’s not where abundance and success come from. It is possible to take action and conquer fear so we can live the life we desire. Tell fear to get on the road to freedom, happiness and success.