Fear of change, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown. Regardless of the type of fear you have, it’s preventing you from being, doing and becoming more. In fact, it’s the likely culprit when you tell yourself that you’re not able to do something that you have every ounce of ability to do.

Of course, you might be saying that it’s easier said than done, because you’ve tried your best to overcome your fears and it just hasn’t worked. It’s totally understandable, however, why not take a look at some ideas that may help assist you in building the courage to give moving past those fears another try?

Are you ready? Let’s go.

What’s the Worst That Could Happen?

Take a minute to reflect on the fear that’s holding you back. Take a closer look at what you think will happen if you take a head-on approach to your fear. What’s the worst that could really happen?

• If you’re worried about rejection, focus on a positive outcome to get past it.
• If you’re concerned about failure, think about the lesson you can learn from the experience that can continue to move you forward toward your goal.
• If you’re fearful about disappointing others, remember that “this too shall pass.”

Conquer Smaller Fears First

If you’re like most people, your fears range from the smallest, most insignificant things to major scenarios that could be life-changing. But there’s really no better way to develop courage than to get some practice at facing your fears.

So why not start with smaller fears? Are you afraid of insects? Are you afraid of saying no to that request that will leave you depleted and exhausted? Start with things like these – the fears that aren’t heart-crushing, but which still take some amount of courage to face.

• Tell yourself you’re capable of facing the fears because you’re prepared.
• Comfort yourself with knowing that you’ll never get more than you can manage in life.
• Remind yourself that what you fear is nowhere are large as your will and desire to conquer it.

Look at Everything as a Learning Experience

Above all, it definitely helps if you look at everything – even situations you fear – as a learning experience. Putting a positive spin on something usually makes it much easier to deal with.

Take some time to think about what positives you can discern from something you fear. If you think about what conquering a specific fear could mean for you, consider how proud and happy you’ll be when you actually make it through.

Think about how you’ll feel on the other side of the road when you look back and realize that making it through was much less of a challenge than you thought it would be.

There’s no greater success than the type that comes with overcoming obstacles. And without a doubt, fear is an obstacle you can overcome.

Developing the courage to face your fears will likely be a work in progress, but as long as you’re moving in the right direction, that’s great. By trying a few of these ideas, you’ll begin taking steps towards overcoming what’s preventing you from reaching your fullest potential. Give it a try and discover what you’re really made of!

Dr. Debi
Founder, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute