How to make fear serve your purpose
Being tired of a hopeless routine, many people dream of changing everything and starting a new life one day. Unfortunately, their dreams, desires and plans often face an insurmountable obstacle, namely fear. Many brilliant ideas fail to materialize because of fear. But can one benefit from this phenomenon?
Nature of fear
Imagine you are planning to run your own business. An inner voice starts to whisper: “You do not have enough knowledge and experience. You risk losing the invested money and ending up penniless. Your loved ones will not support you.” You picture your future failure in your mind, self-doubt grows, and so you decide to give up on the project.
Now let’s analyze what your fear really says. It only performs its natural function: it warns you of possible dangers and problems. It neither urges you to do anything nor discourages you from taking action in accordance with your plans. It is you who convinces yourself that nothing will come of it, because you have perceived the signals as inevitable. So therein lies a fundamental mistake.
Call for caution
Fear is a warning sign that says: “Attention! Danger ahead!” It reports a threat, but there is no reason for you to stop moving forward. You would not stop if you saw the “Dangerous turn” sign on the highway while driving a car. You would simply slow down and remain extra careful.
In this way, fear calls for acting wisely, taking into account all possible risks. If you realize that you are afraid of something, it is necessary to decisively take measures to avoid a dangerous situation and not deviate from the intended course.
To begin with, review your goal from all sides and separate the real risks from the far-fetched ones. It will become clear to you exactly where obstacles may stand on the way and how to overcome them as efficiently as possible.
According to the ancient Greek thinker Aristippus, decisiveness plays an important role in achieving success and overcoming difficulties. Ancient wisdom is also relevant in the 21st century, which is proved by the philosopher’s Code with a worldview approach.
XVII guideline of Aristippus: “Be capable to take responsibility in a difficult life situation with no hesitation.”
Fearless movement towards the goal
Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, started his business from a small online store and was able to turn it into one of the largest and most successful companies in the world. Decisiveness, the desire for innovation and the continuous pursuit of development allowed him to overcome difficulties and become the richest man on the planet.
At the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, he decided to leave a stable job in the financial sector and venture into creating his own company. This required a special courage and willingness to cope with uncertainty.
Bezos improved and developed the company despite the obstacles and doubts of the surrounding people.
This example proves a simple truth: those who are not afraid to accept a challenge will find a way out of any difficult situation in life.
Don’t let fear manipulate you!
Make it serve your purpose!
