In this article, guest writer Heinz Lewis shares practical tips on how to live fearlessly and start becoming your ‘true self’.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Seeing tragedies and injustice in different forms every day creates fear. However, allowing yourself to be consumed and live in fear only creates a tremendous toll on the mind and body.
The mental stress of feeling fear may lead you to make poor decisions. You’re less likely to assess the situations objectively and take reasonable action. Although living fearlessly doesn’t come easy, you have to decide to overcome it and take the first step.
Don’t let fear continue to dominate your mind and decisions. Here are ways to transform this negative emotion into freedom.
#1 Be in the Present
The “fear mind” is a bully that extorts potential happiness from your life by threatening you with negative things that might happen. Things happen, and sometimes, they may not. It’s up to you to push through, to create opportunities for what you want to happen.
Be aware of the “present” moment. This way, you can stop fearful thoughts from dictating and becoming your reality. The present is unique, and there might never be another, so let go of your negative thoughts and try to live in the moment.
#2 Claim Your Fears
Denying strong negative emotions won’t make them go away. By claiming your fears, you now have the power to change them and have full control of this negative emotion.
Talking to friends or family about your fear makes a huge difference. Sometimes, we tend to overthink that it limits our true potential. Sharing concerns with loved ones can help ease worries, and their advice may give you something to reflect on.
If you think you need the help of a professional to beat your fear, life coach Rhonda Britten offers online courses to live fearlessly. You can practice controlling and overcome your fear through these courses, one lesson at a time.
#3 Stop Worrying About Other’s Opinions
It’s easier said than done. It takes practice to outlearn what we’ve been taught about acceptance by others. It’s natural for humans to care about what others think because we need to get along with one another. However, you should not let another’s opinion control how you live your life.
Fear of judgment and others turning you away only paralyzes you. Say you have a meeting with your boss and have some great ideas to help boost the business, but you don’t want to share them because you might get rejected. But what if it’s the other way around and you get promoted?
Rather than dwell in the worst-case scenario in your mind, ask yourself, how likely is it to really happen? Logic can help slap reality in your face and overcome your make-believe fears. Eventually, this helps you to start living fearlessly.
#4 Don’t Think Of The Worst-Case Scenario
As previously mentioned, people often run the worst-case scenario in their heads because they think that it prepares them and somehow makes them feel better. But this just creates more anxiety because the fear isn’t created by an actual situation but by your negative thoughts.
By running the worst-case scenario, you’re literally letting your body and mind experience it as if it were happening. So, you start responding as if the event you fear is taking place, leading to unnecessary stress. And the more anxious you feel, the fewer cognitive resources you have to make good decisions.
#5 Be Proactive
Avoid the temptation to isolate yourself or think that you’re the only one who feels fear. Your life is so much more than your fear. Plan things on what you should do and not do when you start to feel anxious or fear, such as go out and have fun with a friend and take a break from social media.
Whenever a new fear challenges the peace in your life, remember that you’re not alone. Text the people close to you, check-in with what’s going on in your life, and send each other affirmations that everything is well.
What Fear Is Holding You Back From Living Fearlessly?
Whatever fear is holding you back, write it down. Is it starting your own business or applying for that dream job? Whenever you think of all the reasons you “can’t” do it, make a list of things that can go right.
Being fearless isn’t instant. Start by taking a single step towards your life goals. Buy a business domain name or say something beautiful about yourself. Take one fearless action today and no matter how it turns out, grow from it.
Failure isn’t the end of the world. And sometimes, taking the chance to do what you want is what you need to create success in your life.
Master Your Fears
Living your truth is difficult. Especially in a world where we measure beauty by the amount of likes. But with constant practice, self-love, willingness to overcome fear, you can achieve it.
By managing fear, you take more effective actions in your life and bring about the changes you want to see in the world. Because this time, you’re no longer reacting based on your fear at the moment but based on fearless logic.
You deserve to live fearlessly!
I have lived a privileged life. My parents were very fortunate. My father was a very successful businessman. My mother was a compassionate and supportive person. I never had any fears. Although I was smaller than my pears, I was always the young child who would make others fear my aggressive nature based on support of those who were vulnerable. I had no fear. I was also not parented with a lot of oversight. My parents were older than average. I was a mistake by birth-but that encouraged me.
Skip to adulthood.
My father failed to make his children and wife a priority. He gave away the rights of his fortune.
Although I was never considered the most intelligent (#5/6) I was forced to become the person who would carry on his family’s financial obligations, and left with paying for his insurance obligations.
Fast forward
My wife divorced me and attempted to destroy my reputation, successfully.
I accepted my obligations to take care of my father’s family, my children etc.
I have had to dig deep into my soul, my own abilities which were ridiculed by my father s business associates. Negative energy surrounding me, I met my wife, I started to feel my siblings trust in me, and I regained the very same confidence and fearlessness I had known as a youth.
I believe in my higher power. I believe that there is beauty in all of our lives, but most importantly I became and have lived fearlessly