Stop Being So Scared and Actually Do Something Or Your Legacy May Be Disappointing
Are you one of those people that sit there and over analyze everything to death…..rarely following through with anything?
Have you joined numerous membership programs (from online business opportunities, to your local gym) only to quit because it didn't work (or so you say)?
Have you been trying to earn money online but find yourself jumping from one idea to another, never committing, or allowing yourself to be constantly persuaded by others?
Are you so scared that you are too intimidated to take long-term action on pretty much anything?
I feel in my heart that 90% of the people failing at achieving great results (whether that be in business or just life) are failing because they are too scared and it's that fear that's keeping them from success.
In my opinion the answer is a resounding…
YES!
Especially if it is preventing you from accomplishing what you want in life.
I am not saying that I haven't experienced fear or that it's not normal to be hesitant or reluctant. No one knows what the future holds for us and fear is a normal emotional response to specific stimuli but it's how you handle that fear that makes you what you are.
Does your fear cause you to give up at the first sign of trouble?
I see so many people who give up so quickly on something the moment things start to get even the slightest bit rough. These people seem to carry this trait throughout their entire lives… in how they handle road blocks, in their relationships, jobs, hobbies, health and pretty much anything else you can think of.
They start out optimistic and have this almost euphoric state of excitement. Kind of like when you start a new diet and can envision what you will look like when you get into shape or you start a new business opportunity and feel so positive that "this is the one". There is this surge of energy that can cause you to even become vocal about how this time it is different.
Then the road block hits!
Suddenly as you get into the new adventure something happens… the excitement starts to disappear, frustration starts to settle in at how overwhelming the task ahead appears and then fear takes over…. and you stop!
Have you ever heard of Pavlov's law?
This is a really rough synopsis and pardon me if it is a little different then you remember but basically, it was an experiment where people were electrocuted with a slight but painful shock when a red signal appeared. They would be shown a green light and then shortly after the red light would appear and SHOCK!!!
This happened enough times that eventually as soon as the green signal was fired these people's bodies would instantly react like they were going to be shocked even though the red light stopped appearing and they were no longer being shocked. They were so afraid once the initial green signal happened that they instantly treated it like the green signal was the shock.
Ask yourself truthfully if you have allowed yourself to become afraid of the green light?
Have you gotten to the point in your life that the moment the "signal" appears you completely give up and react like the worse case scenario has happened… even though it hasn't?
I do not give a crap what your excuses are. You can blame evil internet marketers, big business, the government, you can blame genetics or you can even blame your mother for not breastfeeding you… the fact is you have no one to blame but yourself.
Life is freaking hard… and trying to get ahead in it is even harder.
Every day I am hit with something negative, whether it is an illness in my family, news of a recession, a failed business project or even a customer that over reacts and takes out their frustration by questioning my ethics. The bottom line is how I react to those situations is what makes me who I am.
If you want to succeed at anything, then you need to accept the bumps in the road. Accept that you are going to have to learn new things and those new things might not come easy to you. Do not blame others for that, you need to figure out how to make them work for you.
Stop being scared and blaming everyone else for your lot in life.
I have 101 reasons I could use to try and justify why I might fail at something… but I have a better one for why I am going to succeed. That reason involves three people that matter to me more than anything. My beautiful daughters Gayle and Jillian and my soul mate Charlene. When it comes my time to leave this world what matters most to me is what my life meant to those three special people.
How will you be remembered by those closest to you?
Stop allowing fear to run your life and stop allowing excuses to prevent your success.
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Great post! I agree that it is crucial to get through the fear and persevere, no matter what the obstacles.
DH
This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
"Most people would rather guarantee their own misery than take a chance on success."
Great quote Brandon!
I completely agree that fear is what is holding a lot of people back (including myself at times), but what I find to be an even greater problem, is that most people don't even know what they want. If you don't know what it is that you really want in life, then fear is not a problem because it can't hold you back from "an undefined goal".
/Mikael
So true… they dont know what they want and so they get flustered and if you have no goal at the end then fear has a chance of causing even more frustration cause you cant see any hope past it.
I agree that not knowing what you want is a major hangup for most, but also, sheer laziness and lack of vision prevents most from achieving anything of substance. Find a niche, an area of expertise, and build on that. Work a little bit daily on your vision, break it into little steps. Write a to-do list daily–this has helped me reach my goals more than any other thing–and do the most difficult tasks first. Submit to your vision. Best wishes and good luck to all.
Thank you for this post. I have accomplished more in the last several weeks because I acknowledged the fear and replaced it with goals and action. You are right that one can become paralysed and do nothing. Thanks to Jason K. for steering me back on the right track.
Liked the post… 100% Fear is a factor for people cancelling or not following through, persistence is a less common trait, than I thought is was?
I know you've hit the nail on the head. So many people don't want to hear how fear is stopping them.
I know when I sit back and reflect on the things I didn't succeed with, it is difficult, at first, to know why. The first thing I look at is were there any self imposed inhibitors – ie, fear or other personal limitation I unwittingly imposed.
This takes a really critical eye, and you have to be your own worst critic to do this well.
Then I look at the system itself to see what I need to change or improve to make things work.
Bottom line is, you can never leave yourself out of the equation for both failures (learning points), and successes.
Stay well
Wayne Sharer
As usual know what you want, stop the talk and take action. It' s amazing how many people are scared of what's false and not real.
My favorite statement is Jack Canfields Success Principles which states – Take 100 Percent Responsibility for Everything and all Problems Disappear – hence
I will add your statement " Stop being scared and blaming everyone else for your lot in life."
I love it.
Thanks for the post
Gregory
Good post I am one of the people who is persuaded by everything that comes my way. Rather than finishing what I have started I end up starting something new. That is why with my new blog I am going to keep at it until I either succeed or my fingers fall off:)
Fear is false experiences appearing real. I agree with you totally people shouldn't let their past stop their future. Great post to get the morning off to a Bright Beginning!
@MarketingMinds / Thanks for the compliment, glad you liked it. Yes there is a thin line between learning and benefiting from your past experiences versus allowing them to deter you from a world of opportunity.
Sometimes not only people are scared to actually do something, they also keep procrastinate themselves.
I think, the only way to overcome this situation, it to think about the situation for a minute, then take one step ahead, and decide what you want in life.
Is it worth staying in the same situation, or living the kind of life you have dream of…:)
Ohhhh… procrastination… that is a brutal poison. Something i still struggle with daily!
Great topic. This single topic can grow into a million visitor blog site, because 97% of the world's population is infected by this virus – FEAR. Where is fear born? – in the mind, so if you understand that your constant fear-based thoughts have resulted in a bad habit which can be broken, than you must choose (free will) to think things that are exciting and joyful and in time, more things to be joyful about will appear naturally and less and less things to fear will arise. The spell or the bad habit will have been broken. We almost need a 12 step program like the one used in AA. I have been studying this for 2 years and I am just beginning to get a glimpse at how this can help all of mankind. God Bless everyone and stay positively-focused.
Aweome comment Erick!!!
Wow Jason, pretty powerful and bold post.
You make taking action and staying on track sound pretty simple…
Just get off your lazy ass and do it !!!
You have nothing to fear but fear itself.
You obviously have never experienced ADD or long term chronic depression.
A good portion of our population suffer, in different degrees, from one or both of these debilitating conditions…
Many don't even realize that this is what holds them back and many CAN'T make decisions or hold to them…
And many have a difficult time concentrating and finishing tasks Some Can't get out of bed in the morning and on and on,
In fact your first few paragraphs could serve as a diagnosis for some of these individuals.
Pavlov's law could account, to some extent, for these individuals actions ( reactions)…
but it's likely that those seeds (shocks) were planted long ago, in childhood and not likely to be easily overcome now – if at all.
Nobody likes a whiner, especially when you try to give them a helping hand and they come back…
I can't or you didn't or BLA BLA… It can be very annoying but in many cases these people are trying to break free of chains that have held them in check.
In any case… with these individuals >>> With Everyone, A few words of encouragement will go a long way further than…
"I do not give a crap what your excuses are"
Just Sayin
Chill
B)
Actually I used to suffer a lot with chronic anxiety and even depression… but do not anymore. What i used to do was just crawl into bed and want to give up but a few years ago i decided that instead I would focus that energy (the anxiety) to fuel my self. I looked at it liek a challenge and realized i had two options…
1. Let it get the best of me
2. Use it to fuel my success
I can go on a long time about anxiety and depression… i know it all too well… so sorry your assumption was wrong
No matter what your past has done to you… if you face it and realize you are in control of your future… you can succeed. I know it first hand and believe it true for the majority of people. So i stand by my comment of "I do not give a crap what your excuses are"… I dont need to go into personal details here but all i can say is my life was not always full of roses.
Fear is going to put a hell of a battle. Just like trying to break away from a major drug addiction. Your body needs it to stay alive – so it thinks. So your mind thinks that fear is its friend because it has been around for so long. But in fact it is the one thing that has kept you down and convinced you that it is your friend and it is other factors that are to blame such as poverty, lack of opportunity, depression, being to fat, too short or bald, etc. But these are convenient excuses that fear helps you to create to protect itself. Only your own courage and faith in God can help you break the chains.
Be Free!!! Join the Mind Revolution.
Fear will keep you hostage and rob you of your success – if you let it.
Thanks for the awesome post
It is so amazing to me that people have such a major fear of just starting because they fear failure. They don't understand that failure brings you closer to success.
Like the famous chapter in preschool books, try and try until you succeed…
Thank you so much for the post, Jason. At 64, I have just published my first book on the subject. My passion is understanding the nature of fear and the paralyzing ignorance it creates. Fear is the killer of faith and hope. The only cure for fear is faith – not the kind that sends you to your knees at the first sign of danger, but the kind that abides in your heart always and allows you to put into action things you never thought possible. Having said that, I am scared to death at the beginning of my new venture, but am pushing ahead all the same. Thank you again for your courage and your wife's.
Well, In my own case, I used to face my fears and been to a lot of failures because I'm to brave to encounter the challenges that comes my way. As what was mentioned on the post and some of the comments, that we must face our fears and don't be afraid to fall because in this way we became strong. And yeah, we must have a goal and never stop until we reach it. All we have to do is to plan and organize things. Anyway, nice post!
I have to admit, that I fell into that trap. I am about to reprogram myself. I started by reading Murphy's book about the power of the subconscious. Great post, cause i totally agree : fear is your no. 1 blocker.
Very motivational! Although I feel that fear is sometimes very natural. But all the same, a nice kick up the ass!
thanks.
Hi Jason , Congrats on the well-written article. Fear stops constructive production and hinders growth. The individual who overcomes fear by stepping against it reaches greater milestones.
Your article has brought out the fact in a professional way.
Best Regards
Alex Papa
great post, i'm ready to go there and test the waters, fail fast to learn fast.
Fear can make or break you and your dreams of a life that awaits you on the other side. What a refreshing read, I will be sure to share this.
Vincent
Thanks Jason, it is good article and great advice