4.2: Proceed Forward – Calms Your Fears

When you were a kid were you afraid of ghosts, goblins, monsters and that big scary Bogeyman under your bed? Me too, but I got over it.

Would you like to shine the light on the ghosts of past mistakes and scare away the monsters of unforeseen obstacles? Would you like to blow off the menacing imagined Bogeyman of negativity? Here’s how – take action, proceed forward toward your destiny. When you take action your fears become faith and your uncertainties turn in to confidence.

How does action calm fears?

When you take action you proceed from “I can’t” to “I can.” You will be surprised at what you can do once you give it a try. Think how many things you have learned to do that you once thought impossible. I still recall my mother teaching me to tie my shoes and thinking, “I can never learn how to do this!”

Who hasn’t felt incapable of doing something until they actually gave it a serious try, like learning to parallel-park a car, or cook a soufflé, or eat a lobster, or give a speech, or play chess, or dance the tango?

Fear fades as action expands and skills increase, so take that first step forward, give it a try, take a chance, risk a mistake, learn something new.

When you take action you proceed from “what if I fail” to “so what if I fail.” How many times do you have to hear it, failure is not final. No one on earth has ever enjoyed a life of one success after another without the interruption of a variety of failures, mistakes and misjudgments, and neither will you.

Life is spiced with success and failure, and if you’re smart, you learn to see failure not as an end to your life but as a lesson in life. Michel Jordan said, “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.”

The first time I jumped off the high diving board at the local swimming pool was a great victory over fear in my life. I was only 9-years-old and could barely swim the width of the pool, but it didn’t stop my older brother from goading me by calling me a chicken if I didn’t jump.

So with fear and trepidatio
I climbed what seemed like a hundred steps to the high board, moved slowly to the edge, pinched my nose, shut my eyes and jumped. And guess what? I didn’t die! It didn’t even hurt! In fact, it was a real thrill and I did it again and again.

When I got home I couldn’t wait to tell Dad how brave I was. By one small step off the high board I went from “I’m afraid” to “I’m courageous.” You will too, but you must take the first step.

Author of one of the most read books in history, Dale Carnegie, said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Good idea. Proceed forward and calm your fears.

©2015 Copyright Ronald D. Ross