Have you been indecisive about something in your life? Are you afraid of taking risks? Do you have difficulties moving forward? The reason for it is the fear that is holding you back.

All of us at some point in our lives have experienced fear. Whether it is a fear of starting a new job, changing a career, or starting a new business.

The fear can be physical and psychological. In this article, I’d like to focus on psychological fear. Fear can:

• Stop you from pursuing your dreams
• Make you doubt your natural abilities
• Prevent you from making an important step in your life
• Affect you physically and mentally

To be successful in life, you need to learn how to deal with fear. Without the ability to overcome fear, you won’t be able to take the important steps in life or necessary risks in order to succeed.

Different types of fear

You may have a psychological fear of public speaking. You may have a fear of failure or fear of being judged. You may even have a fear of success.

Most of the time we are afraid to take action because of the fear of failure. What that means is that we are afraid that we will make mistakes. Most importantly, we are afraid of being judged by our mistakes.

For example, if I had to play the piano to myself, I’d feel no fear, but when I get out on stage and play a concert in front of a group of people, I get nervous. Immediately I would show signs of anxiety and nervousness. My body would be stiff, I’ll have an increased heart rate, and clammy skin.

If you are a perfectionist by nature, you’ll be more conscious of making a mistake, and this comes from your fear that other people may judge your performance.

Effect of fear on your life

Fear can affect your emotions, and thus your ability to make a decision. It can make you too anxious, too nervous, and inject feelings of self-doubt.

For example, you may have all the skills needed to do the job right, but the crippling fear stops you. Fear can also be the culprit of procrastination.

Response to fear is individual

How much fear you experience differs from person to person. Every individual has his or her way of dealing with fear. Therefore, their assessment of a particular situation will be different.

For example, if you are generally a pessimistic person or someone prone to be depressed, you may have experienced more fear in response to the current pandemic crisis. On the other hand, if you are an optimist, the fear of a virus wouldn’t have affected you as much.

Causes of fear

The fear stems from the belief system that we have ingrained from childhood. Early in life, we were conditioned to believe that mistakes and failures are bad. We were taught that if we made a mistake, then people would look down on us. We automatically assume that we would be rejected.

This relationship between fear and rejection has more to do with the effect of rejection on our self-worth, meaning that we are afraid to be judged by other people.

Therefore, you would more likely experience fear if you grew up with this mindset as a child, where parents constantly criticized you for your mistakes. As an adult, any failure you encounter in your life will automatically produce a feeling of fear. In other words, you are conditioned to feel fear in response to failure.

How to escape from the fear of failure

Once you realize where your fear is coming from, you can remove the belief system associated with fear and decondition yourself. You can train your mind to accept mistakes and failures as they come.

For example, if you are starting something new or taking risks in life, prepare your mind for the possibility of failure, and accept it. We all grow from our mistakes — there is no place for personal growth without them.

The antidote to fear is HOPE

Hope is the enemy of fear. There is a constant clash between fear and hope. For example, you are starting a new job and feeling nervous about it. You are questioning if you have what it takes to be successful at it. You can shift your mindset and go for it with the hope that everything would be okay.

The Bottom line

All of us have fear and it’s different for every person. The root of fear can stem from many causes. By recognizing and eliminating the causes of your fear, you can reverse the cycle and live a fear-free life.

You’ll pursue your dreams and take the necessary steps you need to take in life. Above all, you’ll accept the risks and won’t be afraid to fail.