How to overcome fear within your life and business

Let’s be honest, the last few years have been filled with UNCERTAINTY and FEAR.. Especially within our businesses.

To gain some more clarity, it’s important to separate what you CAN control from what you CANNOT control. 

If you are able to switch your focus onto those subjects that you can control, it can reduce your emotional reactivity. If you spend time visualising the scenarios of a situation – the things that are holding you back and stopping you from moving forward, in detail – you can start to work through these thoughts and shed light on areas that are linked to negative emotions and Negative Automatic Thought’s.

So, we need to quite literally face (or rather break down) our fears!

But how do we do this?  

Fear Setting is an exercise Tim Ferris uses regularly to overcome self-paralysis and take action. It’s simple and hugely powerful. 

Firstly, ask yourself “WHAT IF I…..” 

This is whatever is causing you fear and creating a mental roadblock (i.e. quit my job / outsourced administration / set up a business instagram account)

Then write three columns titled DEFINE, PREVENT and REPAIR.

Under DEFINE bullet the worst things that could happen if you took that step. Under PREVENT column write down what you could do to prevent each of the bullets from happening. Finally under REPAIR write down a list of things that could be done to repair the damage if the worst-case scenarios happened. 

Once this has been completed, ask yourself the following questions:

WHAT MIGHT BE THE BENEFIT OF AN ATTEMPT OR PARTIAL SUCCESS

Spend 10-15 minutes visualising all the positive things that could come from pursuing the ‘what if’s’.

WHAT IS THE COST OF INACTION?

What is the cost of not changing anything? If you avoid this decision or action, what will happen? Emotionally, physically, mentally, financially, etc. in 6 months’ time, 1 year and in 3 years.

The Outcome

When you start to face your fears in this way, you learn that not taking action is no longer an option. Some fears are well-founded but never make that assumption before putting it under the microscope.

As Ferris says, this exercise doesn’t make the hard times or choices easy but can make them easier.

Whilst all the content you need to complete this exercise is below, I also highly recommend listening to Tim Ferris talk in more detail about this approach to FEAR in his TED talk; Fear Setting – Tim Ferris; why you should define your fears instead of your goals

Fear Setting Exercise

Why you should define your fears instead of your goals
What if I…?

  • E.g. Decided to quit my job
  • E.g. Decided to reduce my hours
  • E.g. Decide to pivot in my business
Define 

 Prevent

 Repair
What might be the benefits of an attempt or partial success? 
What might be the cost of inaction? Emotionally, mentally, physically, financially?

6 Months

  •  
 1 Year

 3 Years

What is your biggest learning from this blog? What came up for you as you read through the exercise?

Be sure to commit to sitting down and working through this and start taking positive action towards your goals today!