Five Truths About Fear

From Feel the Fear & Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.

1. The fear will never go away as long as you continue to grow. You no longer have to work so hard to get rid of the fear as long as you know that it isn't going to go away. Go ahead - push, stretch, grow. Pain is a healthy part of life.

2. The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it. Fear of a particular situation dissolves when we finally confront it. Doing it makes the fear gradually disappear.

3. The only way you will feel better about yourself is to go out and do it. Don’t wait to feel better about yourself before you try something new. Make something happen and you will make the fear disappear and build your self-confidence at the same time.

4. Not only are you going to experience fear every time you are on unfamiliar territory, but so is everyone else. You are not the only person out there feeling fearful and inadequate. You are not alone in this.

5. Pushing through the fear is less frightening than living with the bigger underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness. Fear can permeate our lives. It can overwhelm and immobilize us. Living with this feeling is far worse than conquering our fear. We can’t escape fear. We can only transform it from an anchor holding us in one spot to a companion that accompanies us throughout all of our many adventures in this life.

The solution is to FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY!