Everyone struggles with fear. I’ve heard the word used in an acronym Flee Everything And Run.
Personally, I have for years dealt with my personal fears by first acknowledging them and then trying to understand why I had them.
But what changed for me was that fear is a necessary evil that gets you beyond who are think you are to who you really are. And as soon as that clicked, I started to understand that overcoming fear wasn’t that hard—I was just doing the wrong thing.
Here’s what I should have done instead:
FACE EVERYTHING AND RISE (FEAR)
As an example, I had the dreaded fear of speaking in front of people when I was in middle and high school. I hated it period. I was always afraid of what people thought of me when I would get up to speak or go to the board to do math problems. Then I realized that to go to better places with better opportunities I had to overcome that fear. So I faced it and started putting myself in situations where I had to speak.
That led to joining a fraternity which led to graduating which led to becoming an adjunct professor which led to becoming an entrepreneur. Being able to face and overcome fear is a superpower we all need. It doesn’t mean that you do get afraid – it means that you do whatever you are trying to do anyway.
Courage is something we all need a little more of in our lives. But to get to courage we have to step through fear. Your best life is on the other side of it.