Seriously, how do you Conquer Your Fears? Have you ever heard the cliche statement, “Ignorance breeds hostility?” Alas, in actuality, ignorance breeds and produces fear, which in turn often breeds hostility. Right off, “ignorance” is defined as a “lack of knowledge, education, or awareness” according to Merriam Webster. Unfortunately, way too many folks think of ignorance as a derisive and undesirable condition, but in actuality, ignorance is the absence of knowledge, either intentional or unintentional. 

Getting Rid of (Most) Fear

Let’s face it. We need a certain amount of fear to keep us physically safe. Remember burning yourself on the stove as a child?  Or perhaps you had that deep fear of going to the dentist. Bets are that you do and that you conditioned yourself to avoid such an error again. However, most adults have myriad baseless fears of things that are primarily based on the ignorance of the “scary” catalyst. Ironically, almost polarly opposite of ignorance is confidence, as long as it is not to the extreme. It is undeniable that even the most confident quarterback has indeed been sacked.

What Triggers You

Following are a few “fear catalysts” in which education and exposure (via the suggestions) would help conquer fear and help rid yourself of that stumbling block.

  • Fear of Flying: Learn aerodynamics, and you will soon realize that the airplane would rather fly than not.
  • Fear of Dentists: Yes, we all have the fear of having someone’s hands in our mouth, the drills that dentists use and sometimes even having a tooth pulled. It’s not fun. Even having your mouth numb may concern you because it could go away at any point and cause you harm. But, going to the dentist is also a necessity if you want to have clean teeth and keep up your oral health. Know that the dentist and the assistants are there to help you and make you as comfortable as possible.
  • Fear of Public Speaking: Really? What is the WORST thing that could happen? Do you get laughed at? Know that it won’t be the first time, nor the last. You will join every human who has ever been laughed at — all of us. Don’t give others that much power over your feelings;
  • Fear of snakes, spiders, and other insects: Educate yourself and learn that almost all of these creatures want to avoid you first. They all have a necessary niche in this world. Learn what that purpose is and empathize with the creature. For example, most people are ignorant of the fact that the bee population is critical to human existence because they pollinate the plants that feed other animals in the food chain!

The Real Fear Inside

  • Fear of Change: Here is where you really get caught in a fear loop. You want to change, to grow, to learn, to have new experiences and be with new people. BUT… we fear change at the same time. “What if you can’t learn, you’re not good enough or smart enough?” “What if new experiences are uncomfortable” “What if new people don’t like you, or what if you don’t like them. You are afraid to stay where you are, and afraid to move forward. Lou Holtz said. “In this world you’re either growing or you’re dying, so get in motion and grow.”

Face Those Fears Today and Soar!

Probably the essential advice for those who are fearing success is to learn all that you can, which will, in turn, increase your confidence and ultimately lead to self-actualization (yes, you fear success if you don’t work out your fears). Self-actualization is genuinely a top-of-the-hill condition, but in understandable layman’s terms, “Know yourself, get educated about everything you can, and you will soon find yourself with an edge over others who submit to or cater to their fears.”

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