"Move Beyond Your Fears"
by Lance Webster
Several basic fears stop us from success, but we have within us the power to move beyond them. It's what successful people do. First, identify the fear that is stopping you, then discover where to go from that fear. Here are some common examples:
Afraid of making mistakes? Create Opportunities. Are you paralyzed by a fear of doing something wrong, slipping up. Acknowledge that fear, then think instead of each action as creating a unique opportunity to learn. Sometimes what you do won't be right, may backfire, may cause more problems than it solves. But each mistake allow you to learn what NOT to do and is an opportunity to move ahead.
Afraid of failure? Create Success. Perhaps you're afraid you just won't succeed. Remember: home run king Babe Ruth also held the major league record for strikeouts. But he swung hard more often and so connected more than any man in the first 75 years of baseball and became one of history's most successful athletes. Most people fail at some things. Many fail at most things. Failure isn't a mark of shame. It is simply a mark of having attempted and fallen short. That is something that successful people do. Pick your self up and start over. You aren't risking failure, you're creating the possibility of success.
Afraid of what others might think? Create Your Own Image. For many gays, a big, persistent, pernicious fear is of what others will think of us. We grew up terrified they'd 'find out.' We're so obsessed with what others think we forget we have a say in it. We can create what others think of us partly by telling them what to think, and partly with the example of who we are being. If you are ashamed of yourself, your shame will be remembered, but if you are proud, your pride will be what comes to mind. If you are courageous in failure, they will recall your courage. If you stress your accomplishments amid defeat, that's what people will recall. Help others see possibility and accomplishment. Always remember...you have the power to create not only your own reality, but that of others as well.
© 2008 Lance Webster, LW Communications & Coaching
*Lance Webster is an L.A.-based personal action, productivity and relationships coach who coaches in person o via telephone and via conference call courses, in-person seminars, and one-on-one coaching. Contact him at LanceCoach@aol.com, or (818) 787-9550 . Visit www.LanceCoach.com
