Learn To Be Fearless – Steps to Overcoming Your Doubts, Worries, and Fear

We’ve all experienced fear in one form or another–whether the trepidation before a job interview, struggling to muster the courage to ask that special someone out, or taking the plunge in a new venture.  Fear is real.  Fear is human.  It’s a part of life, and it can be debilitating.  But I have good news.  You can learn to be fearless.

You see fearlessness is a learned skill.  Were you nervous the first day on that first real job?  You bet you were–but you had to get through it.  How about your first day in college.  A little nervous?  And what about your last day in college?  “Yawn yawn.  Old hat.  I’m too cool for school….”  This is because you pushed through the anxiety.  There was no other option.

And that’s the trick.  You learn to be fearless by just leaning into what scares you again and again till you level up and master the skill or situation.   In some areas of life, your are forced to muscle through the fear–like going to work those first few days on the job or starting college.  You just had to do it, and so you did.  But in other areas of life–entrepreneurship, artistic endeavor, pursuing romance–nothing automatically forces you to lean in and crash through that wall of anxiety.  So it’s up to you.  That’s a challenge, but there are a number of strategies you can deploy.

Strategies To Push Through The Fear

• Micro-step it.  Break down whatever you want to do but fear into the smallest possible tasks.  Just take a step.  Even just an inch.  Sometimes the least forward movement will get you going and through.

• Talk It Out.  If leaning in is too much, then tell someone about your fear.  Acknowledging it can often tame it just enough to lean in and start moving forward.

• Level Up Your Skills.  You may have a goal, but you may have literally no idea how to achieve it.  You need to level up your skills.  Research what it is you need to do, or contact someone in the field and ask them for coffee.  In the modern world, levelling up will mostly mean deep dive google searches.  You could also sign up for an online course.  Warning, leveling up and strengthening your skills can quickly become a procrastination and avoidance if you aren’t careful….

We Learn To Be Fearless

Despite the strategies outlines above, there is a broader, crucial point I’m trying to get through.  Our culture shows superheroes who are perpetually and always fearless.  Funny thing is, those movies and comic books are fantasy.  

So don’t expect to live fearlessly immediately.  This is a learned skill, like a muscle that you develop.  You lean into your fear again and again until you crash through the anxiety, level-up your skills, and build momentum.

You can learn to be fearless.  It just takes consistent effort and a willingness to move forward.  Good luck!