OVERCOME YOUR FEARS IN 5 MINUTES
Article By Ling Wong
Photo Credit: Halley Elefante
We all have fears. It's part of being human. But we don't have to be controlled by our fears.
We can be aware of them, acknowledge them, and release them. It's not a one-time magic pill kind of thing. Releasing and taming your fears takes willingness, awareness, and stick-to-it-ness.
Our deeply rooted fears don't even come up as "scary" kind of feeling. They just hold us back or make us take on self-sabotaging behaviors such as procrastination, feeling unworthy (e.g. you discount and undercharge), playing small etc. Building a business is by far the best way to see these fears in their "glory" - so much $hit reveals itself when YOU are on the line.
When you know how to identify your fears, they no long have a grip on you. When you become more aware, you cannot do things that don't serve you.
Here is a process that will take you 5 minutes, it will help you see your fear from a different perspective. You will be able to address it and move onto doing what you need to do without having one foot on the gas and one foot on the break:
1. Visualize It
Visualize your fear in your body - Where is it? What color is it? What shape is it? What is the texture? Is it big or small? Does it make a sound? Does it move?
2. Objectify It
See if you can take it out of your body and hold it in your hands. Examine it, see if it shows you anything.
3. Name It
Now look at this fear - either outside or inside of your body, and say 3 times (aloud or in your head): "This is just my fear of rejection." Naming it cultivates the awareness what your feelings and emotions are being triggered by.
4. Frame It
With this fear as an object that is separate from your being, look at it again and declare 3 times: "I am NOT my fear." Framing your fear allows you to deal with it from an objective perspective.
5. Have a Chat With It
Then ask the fear: "What do you want to tell me?" Listen. Then ask: "What do you want me to do, and why?" The fear may tell you to do things that it *thinks* will protect you from harm (or at least, something that worked in the past but no longer does) yet does not serve you or what you want to achieve. Thank your fear, tell it that it's been heard and you appreciate the concern. But you are a "big boy" now (a lot of our fears came from our childhood) and you are going to go ahead and take the action.
6. Tame It
Repeat your empowering mantra* 3 times, aloud or in your head.
* You are going to come up with an empowering mantra that works for you. You can have multiple mantras based on the different fears you experience.
