“Growth and comfort can’t ride the same horse.”
Margie Warrell, author of four best-selling books on empowering women to take braver steps and make their mark in every aspect of life, lives by this mantra. It’s a lesson she has learned growing up in a rural farm in Australia. Reaching for our goals and dreams will always require embracing discomfort and acting in spite of the fear of failing or falling face down.
Perhaps you want to start a side-hustle or a passion project, but afraid that it will flop and you’ll end up closing shop in 3 short months. Or you want to quit your day-job to focus on becoming a mom-preneur, but scared of losing a steady flow of income. These are all legitimate fears, but be careful of letting these fears control how you live your life and cause you to miss out on your full potential.
There is no magic formula to becoming brave. There are no shortcuts to becoming fearless. But there are ways to harness your fear and use it to your advantage. In Warrell’s book Make Your Mark, she shares with us 7 daring steps towards becoming less fearful and taking back the power that fear often wields against you. Put them into action daily and you’re well on your way to a more ‘fearless’ you.
Own it.
Fear is an essential part of our psychological makeup to warn us of situations that may cause injury, pain, or loss. While fear keeps you safe, sometimes it keeps you too safe. The only way is to own your fears, and not the other way around. Facing your fear is the first daring step to conquer it.
Tame it.
Fear fuels the worst of our imaginations and quickly turn our unicorn dreams into fanged monsters. You have to be aware of your tendency to catastrophize, as in jumping to the worst-case scenario as an extremely likely, or only outcome of any situation. Tame your fears by asking yourself: “So what would I do if the worst-case scenario happened?” Repeat this for every scenario your mind conjures up and you’ll realize you are capable of surviving it all.
Name it.
Your worst critic is not your boss, not your nosy aunt, not your clients – but yourself. Acknowledge your inner voice and talk it down. Show it who’s the real boss!
Flip it.
Flip your fear of risk by imagining yourself in the shoes of your future self, living the life that resulted from letting fear overcome your potential and let it run your world. Most of us regret the leaps we didn’t take than those that we did. There is a cost to inaction. Risk is scary, but playing it safe for the rest of your life asks a high price.
Embody it.
All of us without exception is capable of greatness. However, some of us have been hiding in our own little shells of inadequacy and insecurity that we forget the daring heart that is just waiting to be sparked to life. Visualize yourself doing the most necessary thing you have to do to reach your goals. Paint a scene in your head: What are you doing? What are you creating? Who are you with? Remember how it feels at that moment and take hold of it. Remember it, then use it.
Risk it.
Make that daring step. Take the leap. There will never be a “perfect” time, but the next best time is always NOW. Don’t wait until you become the best at it. Don’t wait until you’re 101% sure you won’t fail. Taking that one brave first step towards your dreams will inspire you to keep on going.
Build it.
Bravery is like a muscle, you have to build it. Show up every day and don’t ever let discomfort be your master. Over time, those courageous steps will become less scary and you’ll surprise yourself capable of doing far bigger things. Grow comfortable with being uncomfortable and you will fear less.
These steps have been adapted from Warrell’s original article on Success.com. Read the full article here.
What specific fear has been crippling you from chasing after your goals or dreams? Let us know in the comments below and let’s grow fearless together!