Managing Fear

What are you greatest fears? Are you afraid of disappointing your loved ones? Being misunderstood? Perhaps you're only afraid of your friendly house spiders? Whatever it is, you're not alone.

We're all afraid of something. Whether we're willing to admit to them though is another story. Yet, the ability to acknowledge what we fear is one way to help us understand these powerful and sometimes irrational worries.

One idea to manage fear is to write down what frightens you most.

Look at the page. Ask yourself hypothetically what would happen if this thing happened. Would it change your life or the lives of those you love? You might be surprised to discover that some of our greatest worries won't stop the sun from rising tomorrow. 

They say courage isn't the absence of fear, but accepting the fear and moving forward anyways. Our fears will always exist, and it's our task to question and confront these fears in spite of their ability to influence our behavior.

There's a fantastic scene in Troy when Achilles is summoned to fight the opposing country's greatest warrior. The young messenger boy describes him as the largest man he's ever seen, to which Achilles responds, "that is why no one will remember your name."

It requires tremendous courage to confront our fears. Yet, doing so provides an opportunity to practice bravery and to do the unexpected. Denying your fears won't actually help you in the future. Only by admitting our worries can we overcome their effects. This of course is no easy endeavor, but the results might be the difference between completely unheard of and remarkable. So, what are you waiting for? The stage is yours.