When was the last time you risked doing something? Not something extremely big or potentially deadly, but something has made you go outside your comfort zone. Can you remember a recent occasion when you did something that made you feel uncomfortable? If not, be prepared to take a big step forward and know how to overcome fear.
Often we all try to be as comfortable as possible both in business and in our personal lives. We all try to find a place where we feel safe to settle down and get comfortable. We are programmed to do it. It is our way of acting. Seek security and stay there. But in the current days it is imperative that we act against our programming to really succeed and find our own greatness.
What stops us? Ultimately it is fear. Almost always is fear. Fear is the number one reason why people stay in their safety zones. That's why people do not start new businesses. That's why people stop looking for love. But what are we afraid of? After studying fear for some time, I have convinced myself that when we want to leave our comfort zone there are actually two things that affect most people: fear of success and fear of failure.
It would be easy for me to say that you should not care what others think of you. What they say does not matter, that does not define you and has nothing to do with you. I could say that. But the problem is that we are not only subject to the criticism of others when we make mistakes. We still have to face our toughest critic: ourselves.
But here is the secret that most people do not know. This is a secret that most successful people know. You do not really have to "conquer" fear. You just have to master it. Mark Twain once said: "Courage is to resist fear, to dominate fear - It is not the absence of fear" Successful people are not people who have conquered fear, they are people who face fear every day. They are people who were afraid and who also did what they had to do.
Do something over and over again and prove to yourself that you can do that thing. This will generate trust and confidence is a formidable tool against fear. Usually, we are afraid of things that we are not very good at. What are you afraid of? Think about that for a minute and then when you have the answer, ask yourself how many times do you do that thing. If you're not very good at something, you tend to be afraid of it. If you make the decision to face fear and move forward with courage, over time you will be able to make courage a habit and you can master fear.
So, what's stopping you at this moment? What are you afraid of? and how can you face that fear with courage?
"The comfort zone is a mental state where we are comfortable with our current life, with our aspirations covered and without any pressure."