There is a book in my library of inspiration that I often reread because it gets to the core of what stops us from achieving greatness…fear.
Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of loss. Fear of the future. Fear of the past. Fear of the unknown.
This emotion can be debilitating to anyone. It whispers in our ear and stops us dead in our tracks. Once that happens, we continue drifting.
If you continue to drift, thoughts of shoulda, coulda, woulda creep in. Then anger, jealousy and deceit take over. Feast or famine mode sets in and there is no escape.
By this time fear is telling you “it’s no use, you are so far down the rabbit hole, there is no way out”
Fortunately, there is a way out and it’s not hard to achieve. It just takes a little courage and the willingness to ignore fear. What you will see is that fear will try and get you to drift again by whispering helplessness and victimised words in your ear. Fear wants you to be complacent. Fear wants you to give up.
Don’t.
By ignoring the fears, you can easily tackle innovation, new ideas, networking, public speaking, proposals, a new client meeting, contracts, career changes, new business ideas or creative projects.
I know that no one is perfect and fear will creep in every so often. That’s OK. Accept it, learn from it and move forward. Overtime, you will get a better sense of who you are and how to slay fear before it grabs hold of you.
But I truly believe anyone can achieve success (whatever it looks and feels like to you). How much success you have hinges on your ability to tell fear to piss off.
If Elon Musk gave into fear, he wouldn’t have successfully landed an unmanned rocket on a concrete pad in the middle of the ocean. How about Martin Luther King Jr.? He told fear to go take a flying leap. Steve Jobs? Barack Obama? Or look at those in your contact sphere. There are many people in your life who faced fear and conquered it.
Anything is possible when you are in control of your fears. Not the other way around.
Listen, I still struggle with fears every so often. I’m like everyone else. That’s why I read this book 2-3 times a year. Each time I read it, I learn more about myself and how to conquer my fears. I get better at looking at the big picture. What is truly important in my life becomes clearer. How I will achieve my goals to greatness begin to appear.
Clarity and Focus.
Remember: Your only limitation is the one you put on yourself.
Here’s the book I speak of: https://www.amazon.ca/Outwitting-Devil-Secret-Freedom-Success/dp/1454900679
