Fantasized Experiences Appearing Real

Principle #14 - Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Millions of years ago, fear was our body's way of signaling us that we were out of our comfort zone. It alerted us to possible danger, and gave us the burst of adrenaline we needed to run away. Unfortunately, though this response was useful in the days when saber-toothed tigers were chasing us, today most of our threats are not all that life-threatening. 

Today, fear is more of a signal that we must stay alert and cautious. We can feel fear, but we can still move forward anyway. Think of your fear as a 2-year-old chold who doesn't want to go grocery shopping with you. You wouldn't let a 2-year-old's mentality run your life. Because you must buy groceries, you'll just have to take the 2-year-old along with you. Fear is no different. In other words, acknowledge that fear exists but don't let it keep you from doing important tasks.

The things that we want in life are outside our comfort zone. Therefore, it is quite normal that you'll get to feel fearful of changes in the beginning of your quest, because your brain is sending signals to remind you to stay alert and cautious. But most people tend to misinterpret those signals as a STOP sign, which is why they would quickly get back into their comfort zone and putting their success  up for bargain instead.

The next time you find yourself immobilized by fear, you may want to try this:

"I want to ..........................., and I scare myself by imagining ..........................."

Example:

I want to ask my friends to look at my new business opportunity, and I scare myself by imagining they will think I am only interested in making money off of them.

From this example, can you see that your "fear" is actually just a "fantasy" that you create in your mind to scare yourself?

F.E.A.R. = Fantasized Experiences Appearing Real