Achieving success in life means conquering your fears, not trying to make them go away. Fighting fear isn’t a vanishing act. Your fears won’t magically disappear one day. Instead, fighting fear is an act of strength. By increasing your courage, which requires a great deal of mental strength, you’ll be able to overcome whatever it is you’re afraid of.
So how do we boost our courage and make it more powerful than our fears? We’re glad you asked!
What Scares You the Most?
Fear changes throughout your life due to the experiences you have and the realizations that you make. At some point, most of us were afraid of the dark, or what lurked in the shadows, but now we have more realistic fears. As adults, we’re afraid of logical things (or so we think) like heights, tight or enclosed spaces, certain animals, or needles. Those fears are reasonable because they come from our fight or flight instinct to keep us protected. However, some common fears that seem reasonable can be outreasoned. And they should be, especially if they’re keeping you from growing or improving.
For example, suffering from stage fright or being camera shy are both reasonable fears. Being afraid of talking in front of crowds or on a recording that many will see, is likely due to our fear of judgement. Nobody wants to be judged, especially when they’re vulnerable and sharing bits of their life with strangers. Thankfully, there are ways to get around fears like this. The first step is establishing your fear and asking yourself, “What scares me the most?” Once you’ve determined your fear, you can start boosting your courage.
Push Through the Fear
Running away from the things that scare you will only continue to separate you from success. Instead, you should be running toward your fears and plowing right through them. But conquer your fears methodically rather than recklessly. Afraid of talking to strangers? One way to overpower that fear is to jump right in and start talking to any new person. Start with a simple greeting, or something as open-ended as a question. If they answer, great, continue the conversation. If they ignore you, that’s okay, too. Just brush it off and don’t take it personally.
Scared that you might stumble over your words in front of a large audience? That isn’t always so bad. Use that fear to prepare yourself for the speech, and if you trip on some words, keep moving forward. Mistakes make you a more relatable speaker and give your talk an organic and natural feel. If you’re more worried that you may physically trip, wear shoes that fit well and tie securely. Do you have access to the venue you’ll be speaking at? Perfect! Do a couple of trial runs of your stage entrance, and you’ll be ready to rock! If you don’t have access to the venue, try visualizing the event or set up a mock stage somewhere.
Increasing Overall Courage
For those of us who have multiple fears, there are several ways to challenge all your fears and increase your courage in every part of life.
- Find your strengths and weaknesses and use them to your advantage.
- Accept that the only thing within your control is your actions.
- Prepare yourself for every situation to the best of your abilities.
- Ask for advice, support, and encouragement. (Things are less scary when people have your back.)
Making these changes will get you closer to overcoming your fears and closer to tackling your goals. For more tips to boost your courage, click here.
Building Courage to Foster Growth
As you work to build courage in your life, remember why you’re putting in the effort to face your fears and overcome them. Having courage in life (and constantly increasing it) will benefit you in the following ways:
- Improves your happiness and sense of fulfillment.
- Increases your life experiences and broadens your perspective.
- Promotes ventures of self-improvement.
- Helps you establish a well-rounded set of values.
To discover more about the benefits of courage and how to show it in professional settings, check out this link.
By making these changes, your fears may hang around, but you’ll have an easier time facing and pushing through them. As you tackle those fears, you’ll notice that nothing can stand in between you and your desire to grow and succeed.
A bonus of increasing your courage is … you won’t be afraid to branch out and let your curiosity take the lead. Read our blog on keeping your curiosity alive!
