“The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”
- From the Inaugural Address of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President

Fear is the great barrier to success. “What if I fail?”; “What if I fall?”; “What if I lose?” Take away fear and all that is left is opportunity. Fear is a blessing and a curse. Having a healthy fear of Crocs is a good thing if you’re thinking about diving into some remote billabong, but it can destroy your life if it keeps you from achieving success.

Years ago a friend of mine went to work for the telephone company. During his training he spent time at pole climbing school. Each student was required to strap special spikes on to their work boots and use those spikes to climb up telephone poles. He couldn’t do it. He was afraid of heights.

Every day he would stand at the base of that 18 meter tall poll and his feet would refuse to move. Slowly, over the course of a week, he managed to reach a height of 6 meters, then 9. But that was his limit. His fear refused to allow his feet to carry him any higher. The instructors didn’t harass him. In fact, they mostly ignored him.

Friday came and the instructors handed out paychecks to all of the students. No one handed a check to my friend. When he asked where his pay was, one instructor pointed to the very top of the pole and said “I nailed it up there. If you want to get paid, you’ll have to climb up and get it.” Evidentially, the need to buy food for his wife and two children was stronger than his fear of heights. He retrieved his check and went on to graduate pole climbing school without further incident.

Is there some fear that’s keeping your feet on the ground? Is there some success that lies just beyond your reach because you’re too afraid to climb high enough to reach it? If so, you need to take action.

Fear, and its two companions – uncertainty and doubt, are powerful psychological forces that hold many of us back from being what we are meant to be. But, like anything else that resides solely in our own minds, we have the power to overcome these forces.

All it takes is a conscious decision to face our fears head on and examine what it is that we are really afraid of. Once we understand the underlying reason behind the fear, we can build a plan to combat it. Here’s how you do that:

1. Stop using the word “fear” replace it with the word “risk” instead.

2. Examine the risk you face if you take the course of action you are considering and come up with a plan to mitigate those risks. It’s that easy.

Once you fully understand the risks involved with your course of action, and you make a plan to minimize or reduce those risks, your mind releases you from the grips of fear and frees you to act. Action breeds success. Fear holds you back. It’s your choice.