Fear - Embrace it? NO! Fight It!

Fear. Abject, mind-numbing, paralyzing fear.
Photo by Kiwihug on Unsplash
We have fears that are far from life or death situations. Fear freezes us, makes us indecisive. We have a fight or flight mechanism that protects us from fear (see Lizard Brain) assuming, of course, you need protection from that fear. Yet, if you decide to face your fear, to step toward your fear, you may find yourself in a new world that you never knew existed.

There are different ways to face your fear, but many of them require a change in your behavior, or a change in your demeanor that leads to courage, to act on those fears. Turning that fear into anger (or even fury depending on the level of fear that exists) can be your guide. Not everyone has realized this is a choice they can make. Now in my case, this behavior may have been programming from an early age, or even the military mindset created from the Marine Corps (Semper Fidelis brothers), but fear is a catalyst for me. It is the reason or the motivation why I do something. Stepping forward first. Doing things that others will not try. Recognizing I may fail, but I will certainly also gain new knowledge about myself, the fear (irrational as it may be) and the subject I am trying to accomplish. Everyone has opportunities to allow fear to rule, but making the choice to step into the face of fear is what sets us apart from those frozen in his or her tracks.

We all know of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s views on fear, but many do not realize the entirety of the statement he made of fear.

“…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” he also said, “I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis — broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.”

The quote was in reference to the psychology that gripped America during the Great Depression. Notice how he turned it into an action to spur activity to defeat the fears surrounding the Depression era (there are other studies regarding the effectiveness of this “war” but not the topic of this post). 

Fight.

Defying fear can short-circuit your brain. It scrambles your senses and you realize that you are doing the complete opposite of what your lizard brain is telling you to do! Yet this is not easy to do. You need to [learn to] make a conscious decision to defy what your guts are telling you to do. Now I am not saying to step into speeding traffic or try to become the city’s superhero, yet the energy you gain from stepping into the face of fear is limitless. You feel bold. Defiant.

What are some ways to fight your fears? Depending on your experiences, you may know either version of the following acronyms. One is military-based, the other is business based (Six Sigma problem solving). Either one gives similar results and your mileage may vary.

OODA — Observe, Orient, Decide, Act

PDCA — Plan, Do, Check, Act

Effectively the steps include recognizing the fear, identifying the fear, defining a plan to neutralize or fight the fear, decide the actions needed and what the expected results of those actions would be, and finally acting on the plan.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Crush your fears.

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