Overcoming Irrational Fear — The Only Formula That’s Ever Worked For Me

The crosswalk sign resembles strobe lights from a 70’s disco party. It’s designed like this for good reason. This particular crosswalk is long. There are no traffic lights. It’s a busy road. Without the annoying lights, crossing the street would be a life or death adventure.
Being a dutiful citizen and a concerned parent, I hit the pedestrian button before we crossed. I noticed an approaching car come to a stop. This indicated it was safe to cross. On the opposite side of the street, an approaching car slowed down — or so I thought.
I jolted into fight or flight mode as we crossed the far side of the street.
This car is not stopping. The driver isn’t even looking. He is staring down at the passenger seat. No doubt, his cell phone captured his attention. I grabbed my son and pulled him to the other side of the street to safety. The car just missed us.
I turned and yelled to the driver who already passed. He was long gone by then. He continued on his merry way without knowing how close he came to disaster.
Close calls like this happen all the time. It’s the way of the world. Beeps, notifications, blind spots are all sources of danger.
We’re lucky. Humans come equipped with a fear mechanism.
The Sixth Sense
At the slightest sign or hint of danger, this fear mechanism springs into action. It’s like a sixth sense.
That sixth sense works wonders when danger lurks.
Too often, this sixth sense sounds alarm bells for the wrong reasons.
Asking out a girl
Going on a job interview
Going for a routine checkup
Admitting something to a parent or loved one
Presenting a new idea at work
Starting a blog
The list goes on. My sixth sense has sounded the alarm on all these activities.
Fear of the car on a collision course with me and my son saved our lives.
Fear of hitting publish on a blog post is misguided.
The Best Ever Advice To Overcome Fear
I spent the early part of my career in sales. Cold-calling terrified me. I tried all the tricks in every self help book. Nothing worked.
A mentor then gave me some good advice. I still follow this today:
“The only way to overcome fear of cold-calling is to fear the alternative more. Write down the logical and emotional reasons for fearing the alternative.”
The alternative was zero sales. That meant zero income and eventual bankruptcy. My girlfriend would leave me and I’d have to move in with my parents. Plus, I’d have to face my friends and family as a failure.
The last part made it emotional. The combination of the logical plus emotional gave me an instant shot of courage. It didn’t last long, maybe a few minutes. I had to repeat the affirmation once it lost its juice. Still, it’s the only technique that’s ever worked for me.
Frame the alternative as worse than the fear. Combine logic with emotion. If you struggle with irrational fear, try it out.
Call To Action
Logic plus emotion also works as a powerful persuasion formula. Find my best persuasion and creativity tools here.
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