You must be here because you want to push your career forward or have drive to keep pushing your limits to the next level, why else would you be here?! So what are you afraid of, why are you holding yourself back?
In our previous post we looked at the most common reasons I see for people refusing to take action. This one focuses on fear since it is so prevalent. The first question should be “What are you afraid of?“
I will start by saying fortune favors the bold, we do not get anywhere by refusing to take risk in life. Think of the first time you went swimming or rode a bike, you were likely afraid of what could happen. But you took actions to likely ensure success, gained confidence and eventually grew past the fear through action and practice.
With that being said we must be mindful of the risks we take and make sure they’re reasonable. Fear is nothing more than a fear of the unknown, so we must identify what we are afraid of, then analyze how to overcome our objections by taking action.
If you’re afraid your skills aren’t up to par in a particular area, spend some time focusing on it outside of work! Find a new project in work that you can use that skill somehow if possible! This will ensure you are comfortable through practice and alleviating your fear!
Are you terrified that changing your work team will get you stuck with a new boss that sucks? There’s no way to overcome this completely, but you can ask questions in interviews. You can additionally ask for additional time to discuss with the boss or see day to day activities. If you are offered a job or position you should know what the day to day is like, if not then ask to see what it’s like. The interview is a time to be explored as well as explore and become comfortable, use it to your advantage. Your next employer will respect you for it and your willingness to ensure you’re a good fit, because they don’t want a bad fit either.
Are you afraid of failure itself? Look back at your previous history, have you been fired from every job? Have you barely made it by? If so then your fears may have real merit, however this is almost never the case, especially if you’re here reading this. If you’ve always had a positive track record, what’s to think this will be any different? Your track record isn’t defined by what you do, it’s defined by you and your determination. A knowledgeable person is a great asset, a determined person is undefeatable over time. Give yourself credit where it’s due by analyzing your record, if you find deficiencies are driving your fear, address them. Employers recognize that individuals that were historically successful will overwhelmingly continue to be so, regardless of how roles differ. You should see this too.
Stop Letting Fear Guide You
Analyze what you fear, understand what’s at risk and how much you have to lose, what’s the worst that could happen? Once you know why you are afraid you’ve identified deficiencies that you can address. This is highly important in successful individuals. We all fear many things no matter where we are in life but the key difference is identifying how to hedge your bets to reduce risk of failure as much as possible, as mentioned above.
