Fear

Is fear holding you back? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of the unknown?

While a little fear can give a healthy dose of caution, fear must be dealt with quickly and confidently. Otherwise it becomes very destructive. When you fear something, if you dwell on it, you are giving it more and more power. Just by thinking about the thing you fear, you can cause it to happen. That's why it is so important to conquer your fears.

One of the best ways to deal with fear is to put it into perspective. Ask yourself "what's the worst thing that can happen?". Many times, your biggest fear is the fear of "looking bad." This is really a silly fear, but it stops many, many people cold.

Or perhaps your fear is more substantial. Perhaps you are fearful of a financial risk. If so, then your fear may be telling you to be careful, and not to be foolish. The way through this situation is to look at your potential investment carefully, do the "due diligence" to make sure it is a solid, potentially profitable situation. There is rarely any financial gain without risk, but that doesn't mean we should take unnecessary risks.

Perhaps you've evaluated all the risks, and feel comfortable on an intellectual level, but you still feel fear. Again, ask yourself, "what's the worst that could happen?". Let's say that the worst that could happen is that you would lose all of your assets. That's very bad, of course. However, it's not the end of the world. Many, many very successful people have come back from just such a situation.

The point is, your fears need to be resolved. Sort of like taking out the garbage. Fears build up as a result of our activities. They're a necessary part of life, but if they stay around too long they start to really get messy. Acknowledge your fears, deal with them, and get on with what you need to do.

-Ralph Marston