Am I good enough?

What if I fail?

What if…?

Yes. We have all had these thoughts. We have all wanted to create (do something) and we have been unable to and we have called that inability laziness, mediocrity, or _____________ (fill in your mean word)

These statements are not merely inaccurate. They are cruel. Accuracy and compassion serve us far better.

As “A blocked creative” we don’t know how to begin with baby steps. Instead, we think in terms of great, big scary, impossible tasks that overwhelm us.

When these big tasks are not accomplished or even begun, we call our paralysis all sorts of down-putting names – Don’t call it that. Call it FEAR

Fear is the enemy of success

Fear puts us into victim mode, making us give our power away to a belief, an idea or circumstance that:

• Might not be our own

• Belongs to a past that may no longer be valid

• Refer to a future that we have no way of authenticating

Take control, because you are in control

Most times we avoid fear by excessive worrying, excessive doing, and spacing out. These may help us beat around the bush for a bit longer with increased anxiety, but surely not to tackle the problem.

It maybe fear of failure or fear of success, fear of not being good enough, fear of not 
finishing. The need to be great makes it hard to just BE, so the need to produce in big makes it hard to produce at all.

Fear stops us from seeing the possibilities beyond.

Easy does it

The difficulty of the matter is in the break-up of the big, the scary, the impossible, we’ll show you how. Here’s our complete step-by-step guide on how to fight and overcome your fears:

1. Acknowledge the fear 

Recognizing and accepting the fear is the first step toward managing it. Jot all of them down – what would you do in each case? What would be the worst-case scenario?

  2. Write it down

Ask yourself questions about times you’ve successfully tackled fear in the past. What was the situation? How did you handle it? What worked for you? Did you get support from your friends? What personal qualities did you exhibit that helped? Analyze your fear, but most important ask the questions that can make it work for you.

  3. Communicate! 

Accept these feelings, feel those feelings through and talk with those friends, colleagues or family members that you know will support you. Surrounding yourself with the right crowd can greatly minimize your fears.

  4. Give yourself permission to begin small

Baby steps. These steps must be rewarded. Setting impossible goals creates procrastination, laziness, FEAR.

  5. First baby step: Make a plan

Treat fear as a call to action. Prepare yourself and do the thing that scares you by breaking it into the smallest steps possible:

• Write your ultimate goal

• Write 5 key goals to achieve before the mayor goal

• Write 5 steps towards each key goal

• Break steps into the smallest tasks possible

• Start here.

If you can objectively appraise the advantages to moving past your fear, you may come to see your fear as an opportunity to grow. When success and failure are the only options, you have no choice but to follow through and face your fear.

  6.  Keep realistic expectations

It’s the beginning, and at the beginning failure could be most probable and it is good! – You are starting and you are learning from the process, so be nice to yourself for trying your best and stop judging yourself so hard. Reward yourself when things do go right. Stay positive, focused on your values and strengths and most important: Keep doing what you do.

  7.  Now Breathe 

The moment right before action can cause our anxiety levels to rise. Practice the shortest meditation to reduce stress – The 3 deep breaths

1. Empty your mind by focusing on the in breath,

    Try visualizing the quality of the air and its journey to the lungs.

2. Slowly in, briefly hold and stay in the moment. 

3. Slowly out, hold and stay, then repeat 2 more times.

  8.  Peaceful performance 

As you “do”, control your imagination- Visualize your best outcome, do not let the negative inner dialogue take over. Have faith in yourself and coach yourself through the process. You can do this.

  9.  Flow (Stay flexible) 

Things might not come out as you expect them, get involved but also keep a sense of detachment in order to accept the outcome and be able to let go. Surrender is often the most important and helpful part in releasing our fears.

  10. Use Enthusiasm for life as your commitment 

Reframe fear into excitement – At the end, a life without fears and without the courage to overcome those fears, would be pretty stagnant… Don’t you think?

Other helpful tip-bits for fears

• Eliminate caffeine, sugar, and other stimulants, these fuel the more reactive fight-or-flight response.

• Avoid people who reinforce your fear, they are biological irritants; stick close to emotional nurturers.

• Stay away from violent newscasts, arguments, or other stress inducers.

• Journal -  journaling not only clarifies our thoughts and feelings giving us tools to deal with our fears but also to reduce stress and solve problems more effectively.