If you are like most people, you are often confronted with 
fears that hold you back - consciously or subconsciously. 
Although you weren't born with them, you are under the strong 
influence of the environment that implanted them. You might 
even be tempted to think that worry and fear is the primary 
base from which your actions stem.

Salespeople know of this powerful influence. People buy 
truckloads of insurance in preparation for some disaster that 
"might" happen. "It is better to be safe than sorry." Do you 
have an extra set of keys (or two) for your house or car? Do 
you buy food, drinks or even pills that will help you improve 
your complexion or lose unwanted weight?

Whether it is a fear of losing something good, or getting 
something bad, fear is a driving force that is always there ...

Why does someone behave rudely or arrogantly?

Because he or she is afraid of losing their "feeling of" 
authoritative power, which would destroy or undermine his 
or her position in society. You already know where jealousy 
stems from - out of fear for you, wanting or losing something 
you think you cannot have or the fear that someone else will 
get what you feel "belongs to you."

New situations in life force you to confront a new set of 
fears. You may even comfort yourself by saying it isn't so 
bad. Have you ever made a doctor's appointment, a dentist 
appointment or a hairstyling appointment only to arrive in 
the respective waiting area with no pain or the best hair 
day you've had in a long time? Now you want to go home. 
Fear is a powerful motivator.

Some of the more common fears are:

1. Fear of the Unknown
2. Fear of Failure and Rejection
3. Fear of Loss (losing what you have)
4. Fear of Facing Reality
5. Fear of Disapproval

You have to deal with ALL of these fears if you want to 
succeed.

You cannot deny them or banish them to your subconscious, as 
that will only add fuel to a fire that will probably and 
suddenly burst out beyond your control. Like fires, fears 
are easiest to squelch when they are still small.

Confront your fears and banish them forever!

Start with ...

THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

There isn’t a person alive that isn’t apprehensive, nervous 
or even fearful of entering new territory, wandering into the 
great unknown. What will it hold? How will it change you? Will 
you be able to handle the situation or complete the task? Will 
you know what to do and have the ability to do it? Will you be 
laughed at? Will it be worth it?

One way of confronting the unknown is to recognize that without 
action you will never escape mediocrity. The primary difference 
between people who fulfill their dreams and those that don’t is 
action – the former move from words to action, the latter never 
get beyond the words. 

Ask yourself:

What could I lose if I begin to act? Answer frankly. Typical 
answers are time, pride and so on. You should note that these 
answers are merely superficial.

What could I gain? An experience that will, without a doubt, 
make you richer (maybe financially) and one that will bring 
you closer, above all, to success. You shouldn't forget that 
it is self-confidence, overcoming your fears and changing your 
habits or undesirable attributes (like transforming yourself 
from timid to outgoing) that bring you a step closer to 
attaining your desires.

I remember a case where a young entrepreneur was taking an 
exceptionally long time to decide whether to start a new 
business that excited him, or not, because his mind told 
him that he wouldn’t succeed. After a conversation we had, 
he decided to start the business because he felt this was 
his path. He didn’t succeed; in fact, the results were 
pretty awful at first. 

I was surprised a year later when I received a kind letter 
from him thanking me for the time I had spent with him. He 
wrote that he has been a changed man since then and that he 
is enjoying what he is doing for the first time in his life. 
He wasn’t doing well, financially, in the beginning, but 
gradually he built a firm foundation and is now earning well. 

“If I hadn’t made the choice and taken that first step,” he 
added, “I wouldn’t have known that work exists that can bring 
in both money and pleasure. My first financial failure was a 
small price to pay for such awareness. More importantly, it 
enabled me to identify the fear that had been present in all 
my business and personal decisions in the past. Today, I laugh 
at the limits I was living under then. Now, I’m happy to meet 
new challenges and I have been succeeding in everything I do 
lately.”

In 1991 my partner and I started construction of a large 
corporate building. We put all of our savings into this 
project. During that time there was a war in Slovenia and 
alarms signaling a bomb attack often interrupted our work. 
People asked me several times if there was any point in 
continuing construction while the war lasted – what if the 
building was destroyed? We decided to continue with our 
project. Had we stopped construction then, maybe that 
building wouldn’t have been finished until today, if ever. 
However, by following our own instincts and remaining true 
to our vision, that building has been serving the purpose 
it was intended for, for more than ten years.

Is it worth it to miss an opportunity? Think. 

If making a decision appears too difficult, take a piece of 
paper, divide it in half and write out the pros and the cons. 
More often than not, the “against” side is filled with 
“circumstantial objections,” like “a lack of self-confidence,” 
or “I don't have enough money or time.” The substance of these 
objections cannot compare to the reasons “for” doing something. 

Most of your reasons for not doing something are probably 
based on weak excuses. If you are afraid of doing something, 
your mind will find a way to make sure that you don't do it, 
will even stand in your way and prevent you from doing 
something that it perceives you do not want. Be sure to 
address all your fears first and then take that piece of 
paper in your hands once again.

Chase your fears away and consciously decide to take a chance 
in life. Trust me, it's usually well worth the trouble!

Of course, the decision (as always in life) is still yours.