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- Face your fears
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Fear is uncomfortable.
It’s your brain sensing danger and putting you on edge.
It’s unsettling, anxiety inducing.
Most of us run away from fear.
But where does fear come from?
Fear comes from uncertainty.
When our brains can’t determine what comes next, our survival instincts kick in. Our brains start trying to determine what might come next. But in this fearful state, most of the options we come up with are negative.
We think of all the worst case scenarios, and don’t give ourselves the space to think of the best case scenarios. This leads to us disqualifying or running away from opportunities because of all the ways they could go wrong, without considering all the ways they could go right.
Looking back on my life, I’ve always taken the safe, predictable path.
I haven’t taken risks.
I’m sitting here, trying to remember the biggest risk I’ve taken in life, and I can’t really think of one. All I remember is countless times I’ve told myself I am going to do something, but then don’t out of fear.
Fear that I’ll get rejected.
Fear that I’ll fail.
Fear that I’ll be judged.
When I’ve come face to face with fear, I’ve lost. I’ve let it rule my decisions.
The problem with running away from fear is that you’re also running away from uncertainty.
And growth comes from uncertainty.
We grow by putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations. You can’t expand your worldview by staying in your comfort zone.
In order to accomplish our goals and live out our dreams, we need to grow. Which means we need to embrace our fears. Master them. And realize that the only thing standing between us and everything we’ve ever wanted, is fear.
What’s really scarier, taking a risk to go after what you want, or throwing it away to play it safe?
Until next week.
Step by step,
Nathan
P.S. Interested in learning how to reprogram your brain to control your fears? Listen to Jay Shetty talk neuroscience with Emily McDonald
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