FEAR! Run or Rise? The Choice is Yours

24 Oct FEAR! Run or Rise? The Choice is Yours

Failing Forward

If you are reading this, it is likely fear has found its way into your life at some point.  Sometimes fear takes hold so tightly it consumes your work day with insecurity, self-doubt, and destroys your confidence causing you to run from it.  It’s time to take action and face your fears.  Here are five steps to help you get started.

Face Your Fear in 5 Steps:

  1. Identify the Fear. Take the time to write down your fears.  For example:  fear of failure; fear of losing my job; fear of looking silly in front of your colleagues, etc. Writing down the fear helps you identify what fears you have.
  2. Rate Fear Level. For each identified fear, give it a rating of 1-5.  Five being the worst feeling ever-I’d rather die than do this and one being a fleeting thought-move on.  The rating is a significant step in this process.  It helps you prioritize the fear by level of importance for you.
  3. Refine the Fear. Starting with the 5’s first, get more refined in your description and be as specific as possible.  For example, “I am very fearful I will look silly when I present in front of a group of peers who do my performance evaluations.”  By writing a more detailed description, you begin to dig deeper into why you have the fear.  “Why am I less nervous with others?  Why is it only in front of this group?”
  4. Identify the Associated Behavior. For each fear, write down the feelings and behaviors you have around each fear.  Using the example above, “I fill my head with self-doubt; I tell myself I’m going to fail; My heart races; My mouth is dry; I don’t listen as well as I could; I procrastinate until the last minute; I over prepare and then my slides are not specific and to the point; etc.”  By identifying the behaviors and physical feelings you can begin to move forward on your fearless journey.
  5. Make the Choice and Take Action. You have the power to overcome the fear.  Make the choice, to get help and honest feedback from peers you trust and respect.  Make the choice, to share what behavior(s) you are trying to improve at the next presentation.  Ask if they will provide feedback after the next presentation.  Using the example above: 1) I will prepare by writing down the key points of the presentation:  What do I need them to take-away or what decisions do I need?  2) I will get more granular on discussion points :  Why is this important?  Why is it important to make this decision?  3) Identify the process I will follow for the presentation:  a) I will share all key points and key actions at the beginning of my presentation.  b) One point at a time – I will ask for input/discussion on the topic.  I will summarize the key discussion points and I will ask for a decision:  Now that we have discussed the options, what is the final decision on this topic?  d) I will capture the decision and move onto the next key point.  You have the power to make the change, don’t defer it to others.  Make the choice to overcome your fears.

F.E.A.R has Two Meanings:  Forget Everything And Run.  Face Everything And Rise.  The Choice is Yours – Zig Ziglar

Use the five steps above to overcome your fears and open new doors for the future.  Work the process for one fear at a time starting with the highest rated fear first.  Fail forward, learn as you go and say this to yourself every day:  “I will succeed.  I will have confidence in myself.  I will take control of my future.”