Simply scaling the wall of fear

Today's Tidbit was inspired by Marlene Blaszczyk creator of Motivate Us

As I’ve been reading on-line lately, I’ve seen a lot of information and many posts on fear. It seems that we are all facing our own demons, especially when we try to change something or do something new in our lives.

Doing something new can be a little unnerving or an absolutely terrifying experience. Either way, our fear creates obstacles, procrastination and even failure.

So what are we to do? Many people will glibly tell you to “just do it”, which isn’t bad advice, but it doesn’t really tell me how to get past the paralysis. Here are a few suggestions:

• Grab a buddy
• Zone out
• Sweat it
• Make it concrete

Grab a buddy - Having a friend, colleague or coach who will support you, encourage you and hold you accountable may be just the ticket. A fresh set of eyes can shed a new perspective on your situation and help you see the steps to move you forward. Also, it’s easy to fall into avoidance and procrastination when you are on your own, but having to tell another person you didn’t follow through is often times just the motivation we need to keep us moving.

Zone out - Often times our fears are just stories in our heads, or a whirlwind of small things racing around in our minds until they feel like a hurricane. When we take the time to meditate or pray we create a solid, peaceful foundation and we tap into that which is beyond us, finding enough peace and support to help us see our way forward.

Sweat it - Working up a good sweat makes us feel good. We feel good psychologically because we got out and did something. We feel good physically from the endorphins. Exercise will also clear out the cobwebs and help us stay focused and productive.

Make it concrete - Setting up small, concrete deadlines keeps us moving forward. Now you can focus on one small, doable task at a time. By having a deadline such as an interview, meeting or publishing date for each task you are less likely to procrastinate. Let’s face it, most of us do better with a deadline staring us in the face. You will also be marching steadily toward goal, and reaching it one step at a time.

“Fear grows in darkness; if you think there’s a bogeyman around, turn on the light.” ~ Dorothy Thompson

Fear is there; it is real and it can stop you in your tracks. Don’t let it! There are simple things you can do to move through it so flip a light switch, light a candle or turn on your cell phone and dispel the darkness.

Action: Name your fear. Write it down. Choose one (or more) of the techniques above to move past it. Check back in a week and see if you’re moving through the fear. If so, keep doing what you’re doing and keep checking back. If not, try a different technique.

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