Many of us think of having to overcome fear as something that it wrong with us, that is holding us back, and for many, something to be avoided.

But what if we could reframe that fear, to move FROM that fear TO a better place, a more positive mindset.

What if we could see fear as a powerful tool that can help us achieve our goals?

How would you feel if you master your fears?

Would you have more belief, more confidence, more motivation?

What would mastering your fear allow you to create and produce?

How would it affect your life?

Fear can hold us back 

Fear can be like a strait jacket keeping us from doing the things we actually love to do.  And want to do.

It can stop us doing the things that will create the biggest difference in our lives.

Fear can actually be a useful thing.  It is often a signal that we have the opportunity to do something important, that takes us out of our comfort zone.

This creates red flags in our mind and gives us a choice.  We can choose to break free and have the courage to take action or we can stay where we are and let fear win.

Overcoming the scarcity mindset

Many of the fears we have are all in the mind – the most common being about not being good enough in some way.

Here are some of the top fears many of my coaching clients face:

• The Fear of Failure
• Fear of being inadequate
• The Fear of being seen as a fraud
• Fear of putting themselves out there
• The Fear of being true to themselves
• Fear of ridicule
• The Fear of not ‘having everything together’

Individually, these fears may seem different, but they can all be placed under the fear of not being good enough.

Fear of not being good enough

The fear of not being good enough is an internal fear, that stops many people from taking action.

If we’re not good enough we may fail.

We may not measure up.

There is a chance we could be rejected.

We could be ridiculed or won’t feel adequate.

Sometimes, when we have these fears, we may look at other people who don’t ‘seem’ to have the same fears.

This can further dent our confidence and belief and bring on feelings of envy (I want to be like them) and guilt (why can’t I be like them).

The thing to remember, when you have a sense that you’re not good enough is that it is internal, not external.

Rather than thinking about fear as negative (move away from), instead think about fear as something to move through to get to a better position.

If you look at what is on the other side of fear as a GAIN, and think about not facing your fear as a LOSS, this will change your mindset.

Freedom from fear 

Whenever we feel fear, it often means we want Freedom from something and move to a specific kind of freedom.

But we push up against the fear, and it can hold us back because our normal response is to avoid that fear, rather than overcome fear..

By avoiding it, we stay in our comfort zone.

We may want the confidence to overcome our fear, but that is not the starting point.

To ensure we don’t stay trapped by our fear, we need to make a commitment to overcome the fear, and then have the courage to get over the wall of fear we feel.

That commitment and courage only happens when we have an ideal goal or specific thing we want to overcome our fear to achieve.

What is that ideal future?

What is the freedom we want to achieve?  How important is it to us?

Is it worth some short term pain for long-term gain?

Once you have clarity on what that Freedom To is, it becomes easier to have the courage to overcome the fear.

Facing fear is difficult.

Avoiding fear, however, doesn’t work. You can’t create the personal and professional growth you want until you get a bit scared and fight that fear.

That means looking at how we think we’re not good enough, focusing on our strengths, celebrating our successes and learning to trust ourselves more.

We can then take committed action to create the freedom we desire.

Commitment and courage to overcome fear

Being an entrepreneur is often a mixture of being excited and scared.

Just because we feel scared or feel fear, doesn’t mean we have to run.

With intentional commitment and courage, we can build the capability and confidence to act, and to overcome fear.

Once you begin to notice fear rising up, take a step back and feel that fear.

Understand how your mind and body feels.  Stay with that fear, but know it is mainly a physical sensation.

Make notes if it helps of where the fear is coming from and how it makes you feel.

Learn how to take that feeling and use it to your advantage.  Practice taking a fearful moment and then turning that energy into something positive.

Turn that energy into action.  Whether that be attend a networking event, giving a speech, making a video, having a difficult conversation.

The actual doing of something that scares us is often never as bad as how we’ve built it up in our minds.

It is about taking that first step to achieving the freedom we seek on the other side.

Remember, fear is a worry about a future event that hasn’t happened, which is made up in our minds.  We have the internal power to overcome fear.

We can be grateful for what’s in front of us. The opportunity we have.

We can feel grateful, and take action.

Further Reading

7 Ways an Abundant Mindset Makes Your Life Happier and More Fulfilling 

The One Thing Every Entrepreneur Needs: Accountability