Everybody has goals they want to accomplish; buy a house, start a family or get that dream job. But people are often held back by one nagging emotion – fear. Fear of change, hard work and ultimately, failure. Afraid their efforts won’t yield their end goal, many people refrain from pursuing their dreams and settle for something easier to obtain.
This is a dangerous mistake that can cause you to miss out on the greatest joys in life. It’s crucial that you learn how to control your fear and not let it hold you back from anything. The first step is to acknowledge what you want in life and why it scares you. If you’re open and honest with yourself, you’ll soon realise what it is that you really want and why you’re afraid of it.
There are several ways you can accomplish this:
- Plan your strategy: Thinking about your goal and how much work it will require to achieve it can be overwhelming. Instead, make a detailed plan of the steps you need to take and how you’ll accomplish each one. Focusing on smaller challenges one at a time will make your dream seem much more attainable.
- Enlist help: By letting friends and family know what your goal is, they can help you accomplish it by providing advice and words of encouragement. Your loved ones can also hold you accountable for your actions and remind you of your goal when things get rough.
- Make a timeline: Giving your goal an end date can make it seem more feasible and motivate you to take the necessary steps to accomplish it. Remember that you can always push back the deadline, but setting one in your mind at least gives you a reference point.
- Write it out: Write down the worst possible scenario that could result from pursuing your goals as well as the desired outcome. Reading the two side by side should help make you realise the worst isn’t as bad as you feared and the best is too good to pass up.
- Read success stories: Many famous athletes and entertainers came from unfortunate backgrounds and have risen out of terrible situations. Several have published wonderful autobiographies on their journeys, which can be great motivational tools for anyone fearful of not succeeding. Try reading one from someone you admire and see how their story inspires you.
Working towards major life goals takes courage and forces you to identify your fears and do whatever it takes to move past them. But when you finally accomplish your dreams, whatever they may be, your efforts will be more than worth it.
Fear should never hold you back from pursuing anything in life. By making an effort to overcome your fears, you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. Everyone falls down at one point or another, but those who get back up are the ones who are truly successful.
