Fear is a killer of dreams. We will see something that scares us and we’ll turn tail and run or fight.
Psychologists call this the fight or flight mentality. We have an innate desire to get away from scary things.
Image by Laura Lewis
And yet we all want to get over our fears. We want to know that we’re not ruled by the things that scare us.
But it’s so hard to conquer our fears. Fear tells us we’re not going to make it. Fear tells us we’re going to fail. Fear tells us we’re not good enough.
I’m here to tell you that fear is a liar. Fear can, and must, be conquered.
My Fear
Let me be transparent for a moment. I have fear. Many fears in fact.
One of my biggest fears has been public speaking and creating videos to help others.
The fear of public speaking is a silly fear but it’s been crippling. I’ve not sought out public speaking opportunities. I’ve not created any online video tutorials that could help you become a better leader.
Why? Because I’m freaking scared!
Your major fear may be something different or it may be the same. I don’t know. Yet I know you do have a fear. That’s okay. You’re in good company.
Overcoming My Fear
Over the past couple of months I’ve been doing something to help me with my fear of public speaking. My solution is almost as silly as the fear itself.
I’ve been receiving a monthly shipment from Nerd Block. They’re the monthly subscription service that sends out a box filled with nerdy goodness.
To overcome my fear of public speaking and creating online videos, I began chronicling my Nerd Block Unboxings.
These simple videos showing my unboxing of my Nerd Block subscription has begun to increase my confidence and overcome my fear.
While this is a form of public speaking (the world can see me in these videos, right?) and I am creating video content, the setting is different. It’s helped me loosen up and have the confidence
The thing that helped? I believe what helped me overcome my fear was putting myself into a different context.
Instead of the topic being something of great value, I’ve been using something fun and different to build my confidence of sharing in the public arena.
Overcoming Your Fear
Like I said, I have no idea what your fear is. Your fear might be public speaking. Or your fear could be of angry monkeys. I’m not sure.
But I do know that you can take steps to conquer your fear.
To conquer your fear, you may need:
1. Expose yourself to your fear in a safe environment: Find a safe place to practice your fear. Create videos that no one may ever see. Write 10,000 words in a private journal. Skydive indoors.
Whatever your fear is, there’s more than likely a place you can confront your fear safely.
2. Have fun with your fear: Part of the reason we fear things is because we can’t see how they can be fun. For me, recording videos or public speaking is scary. However, I made my practice attempts fun by using a silly subscription service to hone my skills (I’m still nowhere near good).
What can you do to make your fear fun? Find something creative and fun to attack your fear.
3. Share your fear: My YouTube video unboxings of my Nerd Block subscriptions have been kept fairly quiet. I’ve shared a couple on my Facebook page but nothing promoting them. Today, I’m sharing those YouTube videos with you.
Doing so will help me overcome my fears by knowing that they’re public and people still view them.
I mentioned that you can expose yourself to your fear in a safe environment. Now, if you’re comfortable, I want you to begin sharing what you’ve created with others. It’s scary but it’s worthwhile.
You’ve got it in you to overcome your fears. Stop cowering and stand up to your fear.
Question: How have you conquered a fear? Share your techniques and help a fellow reader out!
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.