In this episode I talk about fear, where it comes from, how it affects us financially and how to overcome it.
What is Fear
In her book “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” Susan Jeffers states:
At the bottom of everyone of your fears, is simply the thought that you can’t handle whatever life may bring you.
It’s OK to be scared. The primary purpose of fear is to keep us safe. The “primitive” component of our brain is always trying to identify and help us avoid danger by invoking fear. Back when we had to protect ourselves from large animals this served us well. In today’s world we still let our fears drive our actions which may have negative consequences. How is being scared of your debt doing any good? It actually does more harm than good.
It is OK to be scared but using it as an excuse to avoid doing something does not serve us.
The Three Types
Obvious – This is what we usually think of when we think of fear. It include fear of heights, small places, public speaking, skydiving, etc.
Hidden – These are the more common fears that we face everyday. They include such things as asking for a raise, or applying for a new job, not having enough money for retirement, etc.
This is where most of our work needs to be done and will get us the biggest financial results. Quite often we have more of these hidden fears than we realize.
Unexpected – Things people are scared of but maybe don’t know it or wouldn’t expect it. This includes being scared of success, reaching their goal, paying off debt, etc.
Results of Staying in Fear
It prevents us from moving forward and achieving our goals. At the beginning of a group Susan Jeffers asked each in a small group to share their current fears. She made the following observation:
The common denomination is the fact that fear is keeping all of them from experiencing life the way they want to experience it.
How to Overcome Fear
1) Recognize it, don’t resist it.
2) Increase your trust in your ability to handle the situation. You can increase your trust in yourself by exposing yourself to the things you are afraid of.
If fear comes from our a thought that we won’t be able to handle something then changing our thoughts can help us overcome that particular fear.
Benefits of Overcoming
From Susan Jeffers:
With each risk you take, each time you move out of what feels comfortable, you become more powerful. Your whole life expands to take in more of what there is in this world to experience.
