One of the pre-requisites for personal development is overcoming fear. It is at the moment that one overcomes fear, especially fear of failure and success, that the doors for personal growth get wide open.
Fear is a phenomenon that is responsible for holding back many of us from realizing our dreams. It is simply impossible to succeed in anything while fearing it, whether you are conscious of the fear or not. In fact – fear and success are mutually contradictory terms; they just don’t go hand in hand.
One of the objectives of personal development is to learn how to overcome fear, any sort of fear. To do that, let us identify some of the kinds of fears that may hamper your progress:
· Fear of failure
· Fear of Success
· Fear of rejection
· Fear of public speaking
· Fear of change
· Fear of abandonment
· Fear of flying
· Fear of driving
And these are just a handful that if not overcome will arrest your personal development’s progress. Overcoming fear is so important that it merits looking briefly into its nature.
Each and every one of us is born with only two kinds of fears: Fear of loud noises and fear of falling. All the rest where acquired at some point in our life, caused by an event or a chain of events, which we now associate with pain or danger. Very often we are not aware of the fear or the event that caused it, but whether we are conscious of the fear or not, we are still held hostage by it, avoiding any situation that might trigger the memory of the event.
Fear is irrational; the event that might have caused the fear in the first place has long gone, yet the fear still remains. But why? The reason is that although the cause of the fear is no longer physically present, yet it is alive – and often vividly so – in your memory. It is there deep in the crevices of your brain that lies this memory and it must be changed.
excelling in life requires the willingness to embrace change. So, what does a person who fears change to do?
The first thing is to simply identify what is it about change that your fear. Are you too comfortable living within your comfort zone so that the prospect of change scares you? Are you afraid to let go of the person that you are, risking it in order to become a better person? Are you worried about the vacuum that might be created during the transition? Are you concerned you may not like the new you? This are all legitimate questions to ask. They are also a good place to begin, if you are to get rid of your fear.
What is it that holds you back? is there any fear of something lurking within? If it is any comfort to you, then do know you are not alone. In fact millions upon millions of people do not advance in life because of their fears.
Before you can make any progress in your personal development journey you will have to confront your fears. Overcoming them, one by one, is detrimental to your success. You may need to seek professional help to do that, but overcoming your fear is a must for you.
Most people who have leaned how to overcome one single fear found it easier to master the second and the third, realizing that the fear stems from an old memory and that the event that has originally caused it is no longer present.
Overcoming a fear is liberating and a huge victory that merits a celebration. Overcoming all your fears is setting yourself free from serving a lifetime in prison.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his first inaugural address, said that the “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”, alluding to the fact that nothing can be accomplished, as a county or as individuals, if we are enslaved by our fears.
Whether your objective for your personal development is to enhance your self-knowledge, amass wealth, become a public speaker, or a shining leader – overcoming fear is a pre-requisite.
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