Chinkee Tan
“I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it’s an illusion to me.” — Michael Jordan
Everyone knows Michael Jordan. In the world of basketball, he is a living legend, a history maker.
Who wouldn’t be amazed at his unique basketball skills, but I particularly admire his courage. It is no joke to train to be as good as MJ. There are no shortcuts to the training, discipline and exercise he does every single day. He sacrificed a lot to get to the peak of success, and be the legend that he is today.
But more important is the key to his success, and that’s his ability to face his fears. I can imagine that if he didn’t face his fears early on, then there wouldn’t be any ‘Michael Jordan’ today.
Fear can be self-fulfilling. Sometimes the only thing holding you back from being successful is the fear of failure. We tend to create our own ghosts – things that we fear but don’t even exist or haven’t even happened yet.
When we let go of our fears, we’re free to be more aggressive and to take full advantage of opportunities that come our way. But the question is how can we overcome our fears? Here are some of my suggestions:
IDENTIFY
Identify what you are afraid of.
List down all your fears.
After you have done this…
Identify the root cause of these things that you are afraid of.
What are the reasons for being afraid of them?
When you know the reason behind your fears, it is time for you to have…
POSITIVITY
Always think positive. Whenever you feel afraid, reverse it. Instead of thinking that something bad might happen, think that something good will come out if this. If you have a business, instead of thinking that it might lose money, think of how much you can actually gain. If you are in sales, don’t think about people who don’t buy, but what you will do when they buy! Fear is often present in the mind. This is why you need to feed your mind with positive thoughts to eradicate fear.
ASK
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Find a coach, a mentor or a buddy with whom you can talk to about your fears. Allow that person to encourage you, to feed you with positive thoughts, help you find solutions, give you advice and even walk with you in your journey. Oftentimes, we just need someone with us to ease away our fears.
GRATITUDE
Whenever you feel fear, switch to what you are grateful for instead. For example, if you are afraid of speaking in public, just be grateful for the opportunity to communicate in front of many people. If you are afraid of traveling in an airplane, be grateful that you have the chance to travel and ride on a plane. I know you’re getting my point.
More than anything else, whenever you feel afraid, pray. Talk to GOD. Get your courage and strength to overcome your fears from Him. He has also promised that He will never leave you, nor forsake you. So whatever your fears may be, be assured that He is with you as you face it.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your GOD. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” —Isaiah 41:10
THINK. REFLECT. APPLY
What are your fears?
Have you identified the root cause of your fears?
Do you trust GOD to help you overcome your fears?
Want to overcome the fear of public speaking? Please watch this video http://speakgrowrich.org.
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