CONQUERING YOUR FEARS

Everyone is afraid of something. You have fears and I have fears. The fact that we don’t know what lies in wait for us makes us scared sometimes. Simply put, fear arises as a result of uncertainty. It’s that emotion or feeling you get as a result of doubt. You don’t know what will happen if you take that action, you don’t know if you’ll get picked by that college, and you don’t know if that career is the best path for you. Uncertainty makes us scared. However, it’s what you do with that fear, how that fear influences your actions, and how it shapes your attitude that matters. Sarah Parish once said, “Living with fears stops us from taking risks, and if you don’t go out on the branch, you’re never going to get the best fruit.” Imagine an NBA player on the court. He has the ball in his hands and decides to go for a 3-pointer that would take his team to the finals with time running out, but he is scared. So, out of fear, he irrationally passes the ball to a marked teammate and the ball gets stolen by the opponent. Not only does he throw away the chance to be the hero who saves his team, but he also robs his team of the chance of playing in the finals. Allowing you fears to grip you and get to you makes you lose what it is you desire to have even before trying to get it. Jack Canfield once said, “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” 
Conquering your fears goes a long way in helping you succeed as a person and in every sphere of life. I’m going to teach you the right steps to conquer your fears, so sit tight as we take another trip into the world of learning and discovery. 
Steps to help you conquer your fears
Define your actions. Know what you want to do or what decision you want to make. This gives you direction. You can even write it down on a piece of cardboard and place it on the wall in your room or on the door to your room. Looking at this daily and reading it to yourself gets rid of any ambiguity you might have about it. 
Reminder: when you know what you want to do, you will figure out how to do it.
Make a plan. The level of fear you have will be reduced by a good plan. You must have heard of the cliché “proper planning prevents poor performance.” When you have a plan, you are on track. It means at every stage of your action or decision, you know what to do. Having a plan helps you make the best use of the time available to you.  
Reminder: a good plan helps you make better decisions.
Take your action or decision step by step. You don’t want to rush in. A lot of people will tell you to conquer your fears by just taking an action or just making a decision. That wouldn’t help you conquer your fears. It’s almost like you just making an irrational decision. It might work once but fail several other times. You need to take the action step by step. For instance, if you are having fears about applying to a college, you need to make that decision step by step. 

• First, pick out two or three colleges of your choice
  
• Secondly, conduct a bit of research. This may involve reading about their admission process, asking a few questions, and so on. 
  
• Then, you can start your application. 
  

Whatever it is you are scared of, approaching it cautiously will help you conquer it.
Reminder: facing your fears gradually increases your chance of success.
Move at your own pace. As humans, we are psychologically wired to make comparisons. We compare and argue on who the NBA MVP should be, who the best soccer player is, who the best rapper is, and which rock and roll band is the best. It’s our nature and sometimes you compare yourself to others, maybe your friends or colleagues. When facing your fears, don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t try to move at the same pace as someone else. Move at your own pace, a steady rate you can maintain. Remember you are not in a competition with anyone. It’s your life, so live it like yours.
Reminder: slow and steady wins the race. 
Encourage yourself. Encouragement is the medicine of the mind. It builds a stronger mindset and a positive attitude. Do not look for encouragement from others. When facing your fears, you are your own cheerleader, and your motivator. Always encourage yourself that you can do it and you will.
Reminder: encouragement builds confidence and confidence beats fears. 
Overall, no great person got to that position by encouraging fear. Always remember that. So, define what you want, make your plans, take that action gradually, move at your own pace, encourage yourself, and be that person who conquers fears. Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”  Go out there and conquer your fears, you can do it. 

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