Are you afraid? Do you make fear-based decisions, like always choosing what’s safe and never taking a risk? I know I do. I always feel like I’m lacking courage because I’m afraid to push myself out of my comfort zone too often.

When I talk about fear, I don’t mean someone with a gun pointed at you or being attacked. I’m talking about the fear that holds you back in life. It’s the fear of success, fear of what he or she might say, how your boss will react, fear of putting yourself out there. These are all false fears you make up in your mind because of your personality and past life experiences. Old wounds create a lot of fears and people use those fears to stay safe.

Tactics Used Not to Face Fears and Stay Afraid

When I’m feeling tempted to stop being afraid and face a fear, I reason with myself, ” What I know now is safer than what I don’t know from taking a risk, even if the end result may be better.” People consider these fears when change is upon them, like moving to a new city, changing jobs, booking a trip, choosing a college. we grow afraid because we don’t know what’s coming.We can’t control the outcome of the change, and choose to fear what we don’t know. What if it’s wonderful on the other side? It may be amazing and it may not be so great. There’s the philosophy, “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. What we’re really afraid of is the lack of control. If you’re facing a required change that scares you like losing a job or grieving the loss of a loved one, it’s natural to fear the shock and pain of grief. If you fear the outcome of taking a risk, it’s not so bad, especially if you take a calculated risk.

When Being Afraid Helps

If you put it in the right context, not every risk is worth taking. I have some health concerns the mean I need to get enough sleep and always have access to good transportation. There are some fears I don’t need to face it they have the potential to harm my health. I use the fear of losing my health to help me keep boundaries around some of my activities.

All-in-all most fears we listen to are false. Take some calculated risks and face your fears today because you can!