What Are You Afraid Of?

What are you afraid of? Every single one of us is afraid of something. I guarantee you that even the toughest MMA and UFC fighters out there are afraid of something; even the most successful billionaire business tycoons and Hollywood A-listers sometimes doubt themselves. Because we all have fears; I think it’s just part of being human.

It’s how we handle our fear that makes the difference between success and failure. If we allow fear to call the shots and dictate how we live our lives, that’s when we allow failure to take over. But if we acknowledge the fear and choose to forge ahead with our dreams and goals anyway, success becomes almost inevitable. It may not happen in quite the way we had expected, but there is no way to really lose once you start facing your fear; you learn so much about yourself and your capabilities in the process, that no matter the outcome, it can’t be considered anything other than a success, and a stepping stone to greater things.

You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind. ~Dale Carnegie

And sometimes, that fear is there to point us in the right direction; sometimes, it’s that combination of fascination, excitement and terror that tells that we are, in fact, doing what we are meant to do. One of my favourite quotes is by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who said that “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.”

So tell me. What are you afraid of?

What’s holding you back from really going for it and crafting reality around your incredible vision? What is it that keeps you from your dream?

Are you afraid that you’ll fail and be humiliated?
Are you afraid that you’ll succeed and that you won’t be able to handle it when you do?
Are you afraid of what others will think or say when they find out about your plans?
Are you afraid of stepping forward into the unknown without knowing where the path will go?
Are you afraid that you’ll do your very best and that it still won’t be enough?
Are you afraid of moving out of your comfort zone and losing your security blanket?

You know these fears are all in your mind. They’re hypothetical situations that may never even happen. And every single one of them can be planned for and dealt with up front.

So let me ask you this: If you knew that no one would say anything negative to you, if you knew that you could not fail, if you were absolutely fearless… what would you choose to do with your life?

Got the answer in your mind? Focus on it. I want you to think about every little detail of your life as if that dream was already a reality. Every single change, good and bad. Every single benefit. And every single cost. Think about it all…

Now, do you still want it? Do you really want it?

Then go out there and make it happen… starting now.