We don’t have to go far to hear someone – including myself – talk about how our fears keep us from moving forward. And though I don’t know you personally I bet what we both have in common is that we will do anything to avoid our fears.
But what do we do when we want to build our business or get that promotion or just get through the day and the tasks that we do somehow seem to create those fears within us?
And worse still, if you don’t have a way to avoid those fears, and you don’t have a reliable strategy that will calm you down, make you think rationally and like water draining down our plug hole, take the fears away, then what?
The problem with our fears is that they are not real and the second problem with our fears is that they feel real, and that’s what we react to, the realness of our fears in our mind and body.
In theory we know that our manager calling us into his office isn’t anything to be scared of, or giving a presentation in front of our area director, or in front of a new client whose business is worth a years income, but our body doesn’t. So when we blush, have sweaty hands, feel a knot in our stomach or have racing thoughts that make it hard to concentrate, there’s no denying that fear has taken hold.
And unless we have an effective strategy in place that we can use and have its effect within a few minutes of being triggered what else can we do but …
Grin and bear it?
Feel the fear and do it anyway?
Have something that gives you Dutch courage?
Tell yourself you’re not really feeling fear, it’s just excitement by another name?
For me I can’t white-knuckle it. I never really had any tolerance for it. Fear never felt good and like leftover food that accumulates in the kitchen, I found that unless I was able to get rid of them straight away, (and not just release the tension) I wouldn’t and couldn’t take action.
So I’m not a fan of grinning and bearing anything, and that’s why I created my AR Method. (Angst Recalibration)
I’ve given up trying to wish my fears away, or try to suppress them all, or use logic to explain to myself that they are not real, it’s all in my head at the same time of having a panic attack. Now I us my AR Method and it goes away
But what about you? What do you use that gives your fears a run for their money?
I’d love to know
