HOW TO USE FEAR TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

We’re all scared of something. Some of us have a phobia of flying, while others constantly worry about not getting all their work done. Whatever your fear is, you can actually use it to your advantage.

See, fear is a natural part of life. We can’t live without it (but wouldn’t that be nice). There’s no such thing as a perfect world, but you can learn how to change your perception of fear.

There’s this old saying: ‘You’ll encounter stops and false starts, but you will figure it out. You will come out the other side a happier and calmer person. You will realise that you’re a much stronger person than you thought you could be.’

Once you unwrap fear, you’ll find a lesson or marker of growth that’ll help you continue to push forward and grow in what you’re doing. Let fear be your teacher. Look at fear with meaning – maybe it’s telling you that something’s not quite adding up.

What’s the real reason you’re scared of not getting all that work done. It might not even be about those tasks, and rather, your boss and the lack of trust. If this is the case, you can use this lesson to build upon that relationship.

Control your happiness by dealing with fear 

Instead of giving power to fear and letting it control you, learn how to work with it. Start by doing these five things:

Determine if your goal is a ‘must’, not a ‘should’ 

Are you clear on your why? You could be scared of the outcome because it’s really not something you actually want, when you’re honest with yourself.

Listen to the excuses 

Everyone gives reason to why they didn’t (or did) do something. It’s easy to start to hide behind those excuses. They’re fears best friend. Don’t let excuses fuel your fear.

Adopt a growth mindset 

At the risk of sounding cliché, think big. Look at your skills and abilities as flexible, not fixed. If you’re faced with a roadblock, don’t look at it as the end of the road – adopt a new strategy.

Use pain to define you 

Some of the most successful, interesting people have been through the biggest challenges. Don’t let those failures be your story. Look at the pain simply as a sign that something needs to change.

Thoughts don’t equal reality  

If you can make yourself comfortable with the unknown, this will help you overcome the inevitable crippling fear. However, most of those thoughts are irrational and will never come to fruition. Understand that there’s a big difference between what’s floating around in your head and reality. Pick your battles, so to speak.

Are you thinking about failure in a different light yet?

Good.