What are you afraid of?

Fear.  What is it and why do we let it rule us?

Fear is nothing but an illusion.  It's a thought, an imagination, that something bad will happen.  It can be debilitating.  It is the biggest reason why many people dont experience the life that they hoped for.  Maybe something bad has happened in the past that caused them to think that it will happen again. But that does not make it a reality.  

Fear is just a thought. 

And here's a thought... we are in charge of our thoughts.  We get to decide what we are going to think.  Yes, I know that you may be thinking... "I cant help what pops into my head".  And that may be true to begin with, because if you have never taken control of your thoughts, it may be a new concept.  It may be hard, and some have said that once the thought is there it cant be unthunk.  But.... when you decide to take control of your thoughts, you can stop the thought (fear) immediatly, by saying "NO", (to yourself if you are with people, or out loud if you are alone).  Then replace it with a different thought.  

Fear is a worse-case-scenario thought.  For example:  You would love to take a ride in a balloon, but your fear has always said.  "I could never ride in a balloon, because... what if it crashes? I could die, or be seriously injured."  Instead, when the fear comes, you say "NO", then immediatly say to yourself the opposite... the best case scenerio.  "I can ride in a balloon, it will be exhillerating! It will be fun.  Millions of people ride in balloons, all the time.  Balloons are safe.  The operator is a skilled professional and knows how to keep me safe.  Etc, etc"  No matter what the fear is, there is an extreme opposite of the worse case scenario.  Replacing the negative thought with a positive one, and taking the action, will eventually prove to eliminate, or at least greatly decrease the fear.

I am naturally afraid to make prospecting phone calls.  My initial thought is that I will make the person angry or at the very least, disturb them from what they are doing.  I dont like to inconvenience people.  But making prospecting phone calls is a vital part of my business.  I'm not saying I couldnt do my business without them, but doing this one action saves time and produces the most results in the shortest amount of time. So, it's something I feel I need to do.  How do I overcome the natural resistance, the fear?  I talk to myself.  I say, "What if I'm the only one who reaches them to share this vital information? They could end up making an uneducated decision that could cost them thousands of dollars.  If I dont at least try to reach them, their financial future could be in jeopardy.  They need the information that I will share with them.  They will be happy to be disturbed. And if they are angry for being disturbed, oh well, at least I tried to help them."  This always helps me get started dialing the phone.  After a few phone calls, I'm always glad I did.  And now, I dont feel the fear the way I use to.  (Now its just more of an avoidance or procrastination issue, which is a whole other discussion.)  But, I still do the pep talk every time, because it pumps me up and helps me get excited about making the calls. 

What do you fear?  Is it stopping you from living your life to the fullest?  What are you going to do about it?