It is common for everyone to experience fear. What is NOT common is how we choose to deal with fear. Some people appear to easily deal with fear while others struggle with the process. If you are interested in making an immediate improvement in how you deal with fear then your choice of strategy is an excellent place to start!
Remember, the real issue here is not about getting rid of fear – it is about working with and through your fear to accomplish your goals.
Frank Herbert, author of Dune,distributed raman amplifierмаси provides great insight to the journey of working with and through fear. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
Here are three possible strategies for dealing with fear.
First, ignore it by working on a project.
This is a highly workable strategy for the short term. You can think of this as “Shock without Awe”. The fear is present yet all of your attention is placed on the task at hand. The key is to focus fully on accomplishing the task. At some point, you’ll need to deal with the illusion surrounding the fear. It IS possible that the illusion will simply disappear as you fully focus on the projects!
Second, try to hide it.
This is a common yet completely painful strategy. Fear gains power through illusion and secrecy. The more you try to hide it, the more power you give to the fear. Unfortunately, many people are in a state of overwhelm and have precious few reserves to deal directly with the fear. Instead, they simply attempt to hide it. Keen observers can both see right through the attempt to hide as well as feel the pain surrounding the individual. That said, each of us has chosen this strategy before and can attest to just how rational the choice was at that time!
Third, explore it.
This strategy allows you to unveil a fear forever. The degree of difficulty in choosing this strategy is dependent upon your desire for clarity. The more you value clarity, the easier it is to implement this strategy. Even better, consistently choosing this strategy makes future implementation even easier!
Dominoes are a perfect metaphor for viewing our personal collection of fears. When you deal with one fear at a time and remove the illusion, many more fears usually quickly fall. For the faint of heart considering the “explore it” strategy, take baby steps. You might be surprised at how much less time and heartache you spend dealing with fear.
Fear is often a huge impediment to accomplishing our tasks and goals. Any reduction in our fear quickly translates into getting more things done in less time with less energy. Accomplishing more leaves us feeling greater self-esteem and confidence.
Ask the people you admire most to explain their strategy for dealing with fear. Successful people consistently choose to explore their fear first if time permits. Their second choice is to ignore it and go full steam into a project.
Now it is your turn. What strategy will you choose when confronting a fear?
Posted by Byron Van Arsdale
Twitter: @headset
Author – 19 Best Practices of Teleclass Leadership
ConferenceCallTraining.com
