COLUMN: Fear can be important tool for achievement
What scares you most?
A crowded room? An empty room? Flying? Public speaking? Public restrooms?
It seems that all too often our decisions to not do certain things are largely driven by fear.
That is all fine and well if you would rather not find yourself in a dangerous situation, but what if you find that this fear and uncertainty interferes with your goals and aspirations? As it turns out, fear is all fine and well then, too!
Fear can be a perfect motivator. Many times we see it as a reason to systematically avoid something — even if it is important to our well-being.
Quitting an unfulfilling job or breaking up with a long-term partner who we feel may not be right for us seem like no-brainers, but fear can actually seem like the voice of reason when faced with such tough decisions. It is easier to give in to our fears during these times.
Fear actually has a lot to teach us. It exists for a reason, and usually that reason is for us to work to overcome it — deal with it, not avoid it.
For example, you might want to move to a new town. You have had this nagging feeling for quite some time that the town you live in simply does not have the kinds of opportunities you seek, and yet years later, there you are.
When asked why you are still in said town that you despise so adamantly, the justifications are endless. You feel a sense of loyalty your place of work. All of your friends live in this town and you could not possibly move to where you do not know a soul.
Of course, it is perfectly natural to want to be surrounded by what is comfortable, but what is comfortable is also limiting in many cases. When those comforts become a cocoons that may be taking us further away from our goals rather than towards them, it is a good time to take a harder look at how we live our day-to-day lives.
Even seemingly fearless people experience fear, but the difference is they conquer fears head-on. They see fear as the challenge that it is, as something to overcome, rather than something to give in to.
Fear stems from many places — biologically, some people are more naturally predisposed. Socially, maybe we have been told we cannot do something in the past and so it seems to be reason enough to assume we cannot in the future. Personally, we may feel inadequate.
Is your fear limiting you from something you have wanted to achieve? Then it is trying to teach you a valuable lesson.
When a fear is conquered, no matter how big or small, the reward is far better than the unfounded assumption that we cannot or should not do something.
