What’s holding you back?

Is the fear of change affecting you negatively? What could you achieve if you were to embrace change and channel your energy into creating the life you have always dreamed of? Why do we tend to settle for less and doubt ourselves, when each and every one of us has the ability to be the master of our own destiny?

Three of the most common fears that prevent us from making changes in our lives are:

• What if I fail?
• What if I make a mistake?
• What will people think?

Overcoming the fear of failure and making mistakes
You will never know what you are really capable of achieving if you constantly fear failure, or making a mistake. My favourite quote about overcoming the fear of failure is from the undisputed King of Basketball:

“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
― Michael Jordan

Fearing failure will guarantee that you don’t move ahead in life and is a self-fulling prophecy.  Accepting that failure and making mistakes are a part of life and are really just opportunities to learn however, will ensure that you to cope with whatever is in front of you and help build the resilience and determination to keep trying until you do succeed.

Don’t be held back worrying about what people will think
People resist change because they don’t want to be different and worry about what people will think. It’s easy to procrastinate and remain firmly in our comfort zone, whether it be staying in a job we hate, in a bad relationship or a multitude of other negative situations that we may be faced with in our everyday lives.

Basically, your brain likes information it knows and understands and doesn't like what it doesn't know. If your brain experiences enough change in a variety of ways however, it'll allow you to operate with the understanding that change is something you can survive and even benefit from. You won't fear it so much because the information stored in your head provides evidence that fear is unnecessary.

Having the courage to step outside your comfort zone will get easier the more you try and eventually the doubters and naysayers will be envious of what you have achieved, while they continue to drown in their own negativity.

Why settle for second best when all that is required is an outlook adjustment?
Start by taking small steps towards change every day, and you are guaranteed of to find a heightened sense of control while building your self confidence and self belief.  If you practice and embrace change on a daily basis, it will slowly but surely build a reservoir of courage which will help relieve you of your immobilizing fears and promote change as a positive and constructive experience.  At the very least, this will ensure that you the opportunity to become the very best version of yourself possible.  

You make the rules!
Accept that change will involve some level of stress - but how much stress is up to you - once you have processed that rationally, you can move forward positively. Give yourself permission to feel the change-related distress and all of the associated emotions that come along with it.  Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen? If you can answer that question honestly, and that outcome is not life-threatening, you will realise that you are well on the way to giving yourself the permission to make those positive changes for a life with purpose, happiness and fulfilment.

Find out how I embraced change:
cherrywebster.com