Fear is not and should never be considered as a motive to hold back.

Fear is nothing more than the realization of what lies ahead. You know deep down that you are about to do something special and of course there is a great deal at stake. You are probably financially unstable at the moment or are betting your career on this new project… in any case, you are dealing with something that can potentially be life changing.

Fear is your common sense kicking in and letting you know that you are going out of your comfort zone. A reminder that you are about to step into the unknown. In other words, you probably have not experienced yet what you are about to live so you have no basis for comparison, no history in the browser.

In some cultures, the lack of fear is what is actually feared as it takes wisdom and courage to acknowledge your fears and still act in spite of them. Your fears are only a part of what makes you “you”. You also have potential, ambition, the desire to get more from this life so you’ll have to be willing to make the effort to do more.

We often end up thinking that our plans are bigger than what we can actually achieve.
Is there a lot to do? Yes, certainly. Do we feel overwhelmed? Absolutely. And that is part of what fuels the fears. There is so much to do to get where we want to that the mere sight of the road ahead can become daunting, if not paralysing.

What to do then?
Well, embrace them. Yep, there is no escaping them anyway as it is a product of your own mind. You are creating your fears and fuelling them so make peace with them. Turn them into an ally instead of viewing them as the enemy. Use your fears to make sound decisions. We can sometimes be reckless so the thought of what could go wrong can actually come in handy if it helps us make wiser decisions.

How to not be overpowered or controlled by our fears?
It’s all about the space that we allow our fears to take. It’s about controlling them enough to understand that they are not and cannot be bigger than our goals and dreams. Think about it, you never wonder why you are scared but instead focus on what you are scared of. So, break them down and you’ll see that for every reason to be fearful, there is an equally important one to be adventurous.

We should treat our fears as they are, companions but WE remain the main character of the story we are writing. The struggle and hardships are part of the process. Fearing them will not prevent them from happening. However, going through them and overcoming them makes you a more resilient person and oftentimes leads you to becoming a better version of yourself.