Some Thoughts on Courage – And Overcoming Fear

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain

I believe that fear is part of the human condition – there is no getting around it. The relevant questions are, “What is my relationship with fear? Is fear my ally? Or does it freeze me up?” Finding the courage to live a life of joy, love, abundance, and happiness is what we should all strive for instead. Yet such a life can only be lived by those who believe in themselves; who believe they are worth it; who are going for a BIG life.

While fear can limit your ability to strive for such a life, self-doubt and diffidence will prevent you from enjoying such a life. BUT, it is my belief that the possibility exists for EVERY human being to have a big life. What do you have to lose in striving for and working toward a life you dream of. But you just need to know HOW. Most people don’t know how to live a big life. They spend time striving to collect awards, money, stuff, fame, most of the things that lead to unhappiness.

If you want to live courageously, you’re going to need a strategic approach, as well as the most effective techniques to get you there. Overcoming limiting beliefs and the fears they cause may seem like a daunting task at first but, believe me, it can be done. The key is to take small steps. BUT, the reward is Big Results.

Managing your relationship with fear may be the greatest challenge you face in life; fear of the unknown when forging a new path, whether in your personal or professional life, being the most challenging. Why is this so difficult? Because much of the fear you will face comes from unconscious beliefs you took on many years ago, meaning you’re not aware of it on a day-to-day basis. These are known as “limiting beliefs” and they can be devastating, restricting your ability to take action on your own behalf.

Typically, this type of fear will manifest in self-doubt and diffidence; the belief that you’re just not good enough. Because of the way you limit yourself, largely based on others’ opinions of you, you’ll become overwhelmed by your own negative impressions of your Self, and will fail to act in ways that can improve your life.

You’ve been programmed throughout your life by negative input from the people around you: the negativity of parents during childhood; jealous family, friends, and business associates; teachers, coaches, and counsellors who told you that you would never be successful. The consequence of holding onto these limiting beliefs is the fear that taking action will somehow lead to disaster; the fear that you’ll face criticism, ridicule or rejection by others for the action you’ve taken on your own behalf.

Then too, you may also fear success, with a variety of questions and doubts assaulting your senses: “What will happen if I’m successful?” “There will be too much work if my new business takes off.” “People will hate me because I’m good at what I do.”

Limiting beliefs and the fear they create are not minor hurdles to overcome, but serious challenges that must be faced – and conquered – if you hope to make the most of your potential, go beyond success and live a BIG and fulfilling life. Fortunately, we all have the capacity for courage and the ability to increase this capacity.

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” – William Faulkner

Filed in: Personal Growth | Tags: character and courage, fear of taking action, how to identify limiting beliefs, identifying unconscious fear, managing fear, Mark Twain, overcome limiting beliefs, overcoming fear, what is my relationship with fear, William Faulkner