Michael

Nat and I are developing short brochures with exercises to help in your pursuit of happiness. You can download a PDF version of the blog text below.

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Fears are limiting beliefs. They can curb our creativity, stifle our happiness and prevent us from being all we want to be. Fears take away our power, but often we have the power to see through them. Many fears are based only in a remembered past or in an imagined future, not in a present danger.

Seeing these types of fears for what they are is one way to overcome them.

Exercise

1. Make a list of your fears and rate each on a scale of 1 - 10; ten being the most fearful and one being the least.
2. Pick one fear from the list that has an average in rating (say 4-6 out of 10) It should not be so terrifying that it completely immobilizes you all the time and not be so small that it doesn’t really matter.
3. Write down answers to the following questions. Your answers will help you see the fear for what it is.
   1. What feelings are associated with this fear?
   2. What other symptoms does it include (cold sweat, nausea, self-doubt)?
   3. Do you have any life experiences that may have contributed to this fear?
   4. Do you think this fear is a symptom of a deeper underlying fear?
   5. What circumstances or life events exacerbate this fear?
   6. What is this fear preventing you from doing?
   7. What would you do differently if you didn’t have this fear?
4. Study your answers for proof that the fear is less overwhelming than you think when you are consumed by it. Does anything about it seem ridiculous? Have you outgrown it? You are studying its weakness. Don’t hesitate to get professional help if overcoming any particular fear seems overwhelming. The work you do here will be an excellent foundation.
5. Repeat this process for each of your fears when you have a handle on the first fear.

The first step in overcoming your fear is to see it for what it is.  By facing fear and unmasking it, you can weaken its hold on you.

Michael