In 1933 Franklin D Roosevelt said “The only thing that we have to fear is fear itself”, when he was talking about the growth of communism across the world. Susan Jeffers is famous for her book Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway ® and teaches that the only way to overcome a fear of something in your life is to go out and do that very thing that you fear. And even today fear is still one of the biggest barriers to our own success and maximising our own potential. Just in last month I have noticed an increase in newspaper articles talking about the impact of fear.
At a WA business leader’s forum conducted by the Australian Institute of Management, a key finding was that “Fear of failure is innovations worst enemy”. It found that Australia was falling behind the rest of the world in terms of innovation and corporations and leaders must have the courage to make mistakes.
Phillip Adams, writing in the Australian Newspaper, talks about fear and describes Australia as a place where “Feardom reigns”. He talks about how easy it is for fear to fire up and be fueled by our thoughts and how difficult it is to control this fear. He also talks about how our political leaders are aware of this fear and use fear to replace policy, use fear as a method of social control and as a key election tactic.
Psychologists agree that fear is the most negative and destructive of all human emotions and financial planners recognise it as one of the biggest barriers to people’s financial freedom. Fear over decision making, fear over investing, fear of losing money and fear of not knowing the future, all prevent people from investing and saving for their retirement. Because of this fear, they literally freeze, do nothing, don’t make any decisions and continue to live as they have before.
So my New Year’s Resolution is to not let fear get in the way of the life that I want to achieve. I will do cold calling for new clients, even when I know I will be rejected 9 out of 10 times; I will keep my superannuation in growth assets even though I know they may go down in value; I will try some new workshops and new products in 2014; and I will keep speaking and saying what is in my heart, even if not everyone shares my view.
What is your New Years Resolution and do you need to reduce your fears and speak more confidently and effectively. Do you want to attend a Feel The Fear Workshop. Do you want some one on one coaching. If so I am always happy to assist if I can.