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What fears do you have? Everyone feels fear at different times in life. We allow fear to paralyze who we are. It can affect our performance at work and in our everyday lives. Fear causes people to over analyze things instead of going into action and moving forward. Some people can shake off things a lot easier than others can, which makes it so much easier for them to go after what they want. Others, like me, have a tendency to dwell on their fears, which prohibits them from making progress. We do not try because we are afraid we will fail and if we fail, what will people think?
Most of us will stumble and fall in life at some point. Nobody is perfect. When trying to speak in front of people I do not know, I am always afraid of making mistakes. This fear stays in my mind the whole time I am trying to speak and it causes me to lose my train of thought. The only one that makes this fear real is me.
Erik Wahl was a keynote speaker at a conference I attended a few weeks ago. Part of his keynote speech was on fear. He made me realize the opportunities I could be missing out on and that sometimes it pays to take a risk, take ownership of your ideas, and move ahead. He said you need to find your own definition of risk and determine if the risk is really worth taking. I volunteered to speak to a group at one of our Live Events before we started the session. When I was introduced, I stood up, did not think about all the people sitting there, and kept my head clear of any negative thoughts. I proceeded to talk without the fear. Happy to say, I did not make any mistakes and received applause from the group of people.
This was my first stepping stone. I will continue to take small steps to achieve the goal of speaking in public without making myself crazy days before and during my next speech.
“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” – W. Clement Stone
