3 Steps to Break Free from FEAR

Many times when we feel unfulfilled and stuck it’s due to our own internals fears.  These fears can hold us back from a litany of facets in our day-to-day lives.  Over the years, I’ve heard the acronym for fear (F.E.A.R) — False Evidence Appearing Real.  It’s our sense of fear that can derail success more often than actual failed attempts at obtaining success.

Don’t get me wrong – fear can be a good thing when there is an actual immediate threat!  It’s a survival mechanism that has served us well throughout history.  It’s a true emotional response to things we perceive as dangerous.  

The sensation people experience when it comes to taking action in their day-to-day lives to achieve success such as in business, personal, spiritual, etc… is normally F.E.A.R in the sense of (False Evidence Appearing Real).   Our perceptions are based on our experiences in our lives and this shapes our reality.  When we feel fear and there is NO immediate perceived threat or danger, it typically is stemming from false beliefs.  These false beliefs vary from individual to individual but can range from not feeling like you are good enough, smart enough, talented enough to go after what you really want in life.  

3 STEPS TO BREAKING FREE FROM FEAR 

1. Acknowledge Your Fears

The first step is to simply acknowledge your fears.  Acknowledge the emotion and face it head on.  Reassure yourself that it is okay to experience and feel fear.  Seek to understand what your fear is trying to tell you. Observe where exactly the fearful energy has accumulated in your body. Sometimes you may feel tightness or heaviness in your heart or chest area, an uneasy feeling in your stomach, or tension in other areas of your body.  Be cognizant of your fears and what feelings and body sensations you experience as a result.

2. Face Your Fears

Once you have acknowledged your fears and how it affects you in your physical body, it’s time to face them head on.  In order to do so, you need to take some time to think through worst-case scenarios for each one of your fears.  Many times we get so wrapped up in our heads it’s hard to see light at the end of the tunnel.  This is especially true when it manifests into physical ailments in our body.  A main tool that I’ve used in my life is thinking through the very worst-case scenarios for something I feel fear towards.  Then I ask myself can I live with worst-case – and 9 times out of 10, I absolutely can deal with the worst-case.  A recent example I have is a conversation I had with one of my life coaching clients.  He was overworked and undervalued in his career.  I asked him some probing questions to get him thinking, and as a result he decided he would face his fear of asking for a raise that he felt was well deserved.  In his mind, the worst-case scenario was that his senior supervisor says “no” and in that would confirm that his efforts are not appreciated.  He went in that next week and mustered up the energy to ask for what he wanted, and not only did he get his raise, they agreed to add on quarterly bonuses based upon performance matrices.  He has this immense fear of rejection and was terrified to ask for what he wanted.  Once he thought through the worst-case scenario and decided he could live with the perceived rejection of his boss saying no – he went for it.  Like I aforementioned, F.E.A.R – False Evidence Appearing Real.  For my client, he was stuck in a state of fear and afraid of the response he may get from his superior.  So, for years he lived in an anxiety state afraid to simply ask, when the worse the boss could say is “no” and then he could decide what to do from there.  

3. Release Your Fears

Nothing in this life worth having is going to come super easy without having to put forth any effort.  People at the top of mountains didn’t fall and land at the top.  They took action and had the perseverance to make it to the top.  The problem is most people don’t make it to the top of the mountain because they are too afraid to take the first step on the trail.  Fear gets in the way – many times internal fears based upon false beliefs.  Once you acknowledge your fears, are cognizant of how your fears affect your life externally and in your physical body, and you ask yourself “what is the worst thing that can happen if I take the leap and face it head on,” then it’s time to RELEASE the FEAR you’ve been holding onto.  Release it – fully.  You are fully capable to live the life you imagined!

Two other well-known sayings for the acronym F.E.A.R are:

‘Forget Everything and Run,’ or, ‘Face Everything and Rise.’

The choice is 100% YOURS to make!