Controlling fear

Fear is always powerful, and often it can even be very helpful. Fear can give you much-needed extra energy in new and unfamiliar situations. It sharpens your senses. It helps you to focus. It helps you avoid legitimately dangerous situations. Yet fear can also be tragically limiting. To successfully manage your fears, you must learn to accept them, to find their positive message, and to make productive use of them. Your fears give you plenty of things to fear, and that can be useful. The key point is to avoid fearing the fears.

The problem with fear comes when you begin to fear being afraid. It’s the fear of the fear that really stops you. For example, imagine that you have a fear of speaking in front of a large audience. This is certainly one of the most common fears. Now suppose you find yourself in front of a large audience, and suddenly a fear overcomes you. What is that fear? Are you afraid of the audience? No, you’re afraid of your fear. Carry it a step further. Imagine that you turn down a good job offer because it might involve some public speaking. Do you fear the job? No. Do you fear the public speaking? No. You fear the fear of the fear. Wow—fear can get very deep when you’re afraid of it.

The best way to overcome fear is to do the thing you fear. And the best way to do that is to accept your fear as something positive and useful. Use the heightened energy and awareness your fear gives you to help you through the feared situation. That’s what the fear is there for—to help you cope with the thing you fear. Don’t fear your fear. Use it for growth and accomplishment.

Life is too precious to let fear hold you back. The purpose of fear is to prepare you, not to stop you. Fear will heighten your senses, focus your mind, sharpen your judgment and boost your energy level. It gets you in condition to meet challenges.

Feel your fear, take strength from it, and move forward with the power it gives you. In your fear of failure, are the tools for success. In your fear of humiliation, is the energy to eloquently express yourself. In your fear of rejection, you’ll find the energy to persevere. But only if you refuse to be stopped by fear.

Fear will often help you to make positive changes in your approach. Yet your fear is wasted if you let it stop you completely. Take control of your fear by using your fear to run faster and smarter, not to run away.