Theres an aspiring adventurer, entrepreneur or novelist in all of us.
Yet when it comes to chasing after our goals and dreams were often too scared to take the leap.
Fear holds us back.
It kills productivity and, in all honesty, sucks the fun out of life.
This post originally appeared on theCrew blog.
Before embarking on life as afreelancerandstarting Nudge, I had a huge fear of leaving my 95 job.
Whenever a chance to follow my dream would present itself, I wouldnt take it.
Fear isnt something you’re able to overcome by simply working harder.
You cant solve it by spending money.
And you certainly cant avoid it by delegating.
Why Do We Fear Failure?
Unfortunately, we humans are hardwired to focus on the negatives of situations.
Its what psychologists call the negativity bias.
Its why newspapers and news shows report so heavily on negative stories.
As ironic as it may be, its what we all want to hear.
Fear prompts retreat, Emory University neuroeconomist Gregory Berns explains in theN.Y.
It is the antipode to progress.
The same applies to most dreams and goals.
Fear can shut us down before we even have a chance to start.
As highlighted by Sir James Dysons story, failure isnt an ending its a part of your story.
Its a natural part of growing.
And should, at times, be looked at as positive, not negative.
By changing your perception of failure you’ve got the option to learn to stop fearing it.
Find a Mentor
Mentors can be amazingly valuable people to have in your life.
If you dont know where to start when looking for someone to help mentor youthis articleis a great start.
Who would you be?
Where would you go?
And what would you do?
Removing thoughts of failure can help you to define exactly what you want from life.
And if you couldnt fail, what would you do?
That second goal seems a lot less daunting, right?
By breaking down dreams, theres less to fear each step along the way.
When I analyzed my fear, I realized I was worried about money.
Identifying the root-cause of your fear will allow you to do the same.
By understanding thewhyof your fear, youve already taken the first step towards the life you want.
So, what are you afraid of?
Image byBim Doodle(Shutterstock).
