Sophia Petrides: International Life Coach for Executives and acclaimed author – unlock your potential – Published on LinkedIn
The world is geared to make us afraid in every aspect of our lives. No matter where you look, society is telling you to be cautious, to be suspicious and by default to be fearful. As a result, we can allow fear to overwhelm its natural boundaries that provide protection and instead, allow ourselves to end up stuck in various areas of our lives. With this article, I would like to empower you to find the courage and take a risk that would redirect your life. I welcome your thoughts in the comments below!
The ironic thing about fear is it’s nothing to be afraid of. Fear is a normal part of our psychological nature, and it protects us from dangerous situations. However, when we allow the emotions associated with fear to control us, that is when anxiety creeps in. That anxiety makes us feel stuck and unable to move on. But what if we make a mindset shift and use fear as a positive tool to support achieving our goals? Then fear becomes a tool that helps us build courage, take risks and become resilient.
The goal: Recognising that fear is just your brain sending you signals that you have no other option but to move forwards. Use the feeling as nature intended, to push yourself to find solutions and achieve your goals.
How? First we need to identify our fears. Not the obvious ones like fear of heights or snakes, but personal fears. Those common, everyday fears we all share sometimes; like the fear of missing out on opportunities; or the fear you won’t be up to a challenge at work or home; or the fear of being judged negatively by peers or family.
Try this: You can identify your fears by taking time to think about situations where fear was the cause of the choices you have made – or not made – in your life that had repercussions on your wellbeing. Once you have identified what your fear was, ask yourself “What is the worst that can happen if I do not take action?” or “If I take action, what lessons will I have learned?”
A good example is when we choose to stay in an unhappy relationship at work because we are afraid of losing our job or putting up with unhappy aspects of a personal relationship because you fear an argument if you try to change them.
- “If I do nothing, what’s the worst that could happen?” Well, you could easily end up feeling stressed and trapped in a job you don’t like. Or you could feel stuck in a personal relationship that causes you resentment and emotional distress. We have all been there at some point in our lives.
- “If I take action, what will I learn?” In the workplace, you will learn that you can change your own working environment for the better, even if that means looking for a better workplace. In the personal relationship, you will learn that an honest dialogue contributes towards personal growth for both parties in a relationship, even if it means moving on from a disappointing situation.
The coaching lesson? Nothing good comes from suppressing your emotions. It’s bad for your mental health, it’s bad for your physical wellbeing. Your emotions are there for a reason, but they aren’t always what they appear to be, if you work out what is triggering them you can use them as tools to help you get where you want to be. After all, what’s the worst that could happen if you do nothing…and what will you learn if you do?
If you need further support on learning how to use fear to affect positive change in your life, please contact me on www.petrides.consulting – I cover this subject in more detail in my workbook called Bedside Coaching™7 Lessons of Empowerment, currently selling on Amazon.
Personal growth is a journey. Let’s start it together!