What have you allowed fear to take from you?  Was it your dream?  Was it your happiness?  Did you then just give up everything so easily to fear without even putting up a fight?

We all are guilty of giving in to fear at some point in our lives. We all feel fear, but unfortunately fear is like the boogie man that haunts us if we aren’t mature enough to understand that it is not that creepy.

Fear helps protect us.  You feel fear when you are not in a safe place.  It is that emotion telling you to get away quickly because something isn’t right.  Fear is our guide, but one that if not managed properly can become our greatest stumbling block to achieving our goals.

When you view your goals in terms of what you will lose instead of all that you have to gain if you face those fears, you are in a preventative mode.  You now want to play it safe.  You work hard to avoid making mistakes.  You fight to hold on to what little you think you have.  Your fear of failure exceeds your desire to succeed.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

On the other hand, if you see yourself gaining more should you face your fears you are in a success driven mode.  You are more focused on getting ahead and willing to take the risk.  You see the risk as worth it.  You are no longer afraid of failing as your need for success exceeds your fear of failing.

I want you to get to the stage where you will be more focused on what you will gain instead of what you will lose.  Today is the day to confront your fears.  Today is the day you will become success focus.  No more will you allow fear to boss you around and rob you of what is rightfully yours.  You are in control of your life and not fear.  Stand up to fear and reclaim your life.

Here are 7 tips to fight back and win:

1. Quit thinking too much about what others think

Many of us spend so much time thinking about what others think of us that we allow the fear of what they think, prevent us from going after our dreams.  The scary thing is that most people do not even think about you and they do not care. Decide what needs to be done and do it.  The moment you refuse to care about what others think of you is the day you will start to succeed.

2. Quit procrastinating

We allow fear to keep us procrastinating.  We will get to it sometime but now is not the right time. There will never be a perfect time to do anything.  You must be willing to make the time. The most difficult thing to do is to get started.  Once you take the first step, you will develop momentum. Keep working even when you do not feel like doing so.

3. Do not allow fear to tell you that you aren’t good enough

Fear has a way of working in the vulnerable areas of our lives.  Fear knows your weaknesses.  It tries to break down your confidence; it feeds on your insecurities.  You are not the only one with issues.  Yes, you do not know everything nor do you have it all together but if you are prepared to work hard, you will get ahead.  You have enough in you to achieve any goal you set for yourself.

4. Quit telling yourself you are going to fail

How do you know you are going to fail if you haven’t even made an attempt?  If you haven’t made an attempt then indeed you have failed.  Do not allow the fear of failing to prevent you from going after your dreams.  Give it your best and never quit until you’ve achieved success.

“Do what you fear and fear disappears.” – David Joseph Schwartz

5. Do not allow fear to convince you that you do not have what it takes

Too many of us will never reach our full potential because we allow fear to secretly convince us that we do not have what it takes.  How sad is that, when whatever you do not know right now you can learn. There are so many resources available to you.  All you need right now is the determination and the willingness to do the work.  The more you practice your skills, the better you become.

6. Do not allow fear to tell you that it’s too late

It is never too late to achieve your dreams. If your dream is to go back to school, and you are 50 years old, then it is your time now.  Fear has a way of trying to convince you that the time has run out on you attaining your goals.  How can it be too late when the dream is yours, and you haven’t achieved it yet?

7. Do not let fear tell you that you can’t change

One of the major requirements for achieving one’s goal is the need for flexibility.  You must be willing to change.  Change is good, and anyone can change at any time.  You only have to desire the need to change.  If you need to get up earlier to study because your goal is to take classes you only need to program your schedule to be able to accommodate your study time.  People are constantly changing, and you are changing whether you want to or not so you might as well change to do what you want.

“To fight fear, act. To increase fear – wait, put off,  postpone.” – David Joseph Schwartz

Fear has a way of trying to be bigger than it is. Once you confront your fears, you will never allow it to scare you that much again.  Fear appears bigger and more powerful than it truly is.  You only have to decide to face those fears, and it loses it power and its hold on you.  It is normal to feel fear, but you should never allow it to stand in your way of reaching your goals.

Which one of these fears holds you back the most?