Why Fear Limits Your Life Potential
Have you ever felt like fear was preventing you from reaching your full potential in life? If so, you are certainly not alone because fear is one of the biggest obstacles that many people face when trying to create better life circumstances.
Below are some of the most common ways that fear can hold you back:
Fear can prevent you from making positive changes.
Sometimes fear can make even the smallest changes seem extremely uncomfortable. For example, you may be deeply dissatisfied with your job, but feel nervous or uncertain about finding and applying for a better one. Or you may have always dreamed of buying your own home but worry that the responsibility would be too much to handle.
Fear can prevent you from breaking destructive habits.
We all know that smoking, poor dietary choices, excessive alcohol and a sedentary lifestyle are a recipe for health problems, but we often gravitate toward these habits because they help numb our anxious or fearful feelings. If you have ever tried to break a bad habit like this, you know how stressful it can be because suddenly you are filled with anxiety and you don’t know how to handle it except to run back to your “pacifiers” – the very habits you are trying to break.
Fear can prevent you from taking risks.
Many of us shy away from risk because we fear negative consequences. For example, you may hesitate to invest your money because you fear losing it, or avoid starting a new relationship because you were so hurt by the last one. What most of us fail to realize is that risk can also bring great rewards. Avoiding risk may help us avoid negative possibilities but we also miss the excitement and joy that come from positive outcomes.
Fear can prevent you from pursuing your goals.
Have you ever dreamed of doing something great but were never able to push yourself to do it? Perhaps you dreamed of being a stand-up comedian but dreaded the thought of public speaking, or you desperately wanted to be a bestselling author but were too afraid to pen that novel lurking inside of you.
Fear can prevent you from expanding your life.
Social anxiety is another common way that fear can limit your potential. It may prevent you from attending networking functions so your career or business can’t grow properly, or you may avoid taking that much needed vacation to relax and explore other cultures because you fear flying or being on a cruise ship.
How to Stop Fear from Limiting Your Potential
It’s important to note that all of these fears are most often groundless. They are merely a perception that things “could” go wrong – but that doesn’t mean they will.
Rather than trying to force your way through the fear, you may find it easier to explore the many ways that fear can be effectively released from your mind, emotions, and body. When you know how to release the fear, you simply handle it as you would any minor obstacle and then continue on your way to creating the best life you possibly can.
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[This article was provided by the creators of the Free from Fear System, which this website has a material relationship with.]
This post has 5 comments
November 12th, 2009
I find that fighting fear gives more power to the fear. I experience fear all the time (I like to joke that fear is an integral part of every entrepreneurial experience!). But I can choose to let fear stop me, or just acknowledge it and say “Hi fear. I feel you. But I’m going to do this anyway.”
Fear is just a way our subconscious lets us know that we are venturing beyond the comfort zone. That’s all. It’s a normal, natural part of the human experience, a survival instinct when we encounter something new.
I think the biggest obstacle we have is thinking that fear is “bad” or that we “shouldn’t” be afraid.
Fear doesn’t matter. It’s how we react to fear that counts – and that is entirely up to us.
Blessings,
Andrea
November 12th, 2009
Excellent point, Andrea. Fear is a normal, natural, healthy human emotion… one that keeps us from being hit by buses.
Its just when it controls us, rather than counseling us, that it becomes a problem. And you are right… fighting it just gives it more power.
November 12th, 2009
So true!Many spend so much of their time worrying about what MIGHT happen instead of enjoying what IS happening around them. If we can open ourselves up to accepting the fear, then it no longer controls us. We can decide how to act upon the fear in a way that will serve us best.
November 15th, 2009
Great post on the power fears can have in our lives if we don’t reclaim our power over them. I really enjoyed reading this and will look forward to reading more of your writing
November 16th, 2009
Yes, fear does take away a lot of opportunities from your life. It’s all about overcoming it and taking control of it. Thanks for pointing this out. Without fear, I can now LIVE MORE.