Run Towards Fear: A Prescription for Success

Fear, or negative anxiety, is the modern day bubonic plague, infecting millions upon millions of people. It spreads with viral effect, and leaves behind consequences of mediocrity and regret. This "plague" is partly due to societal influences (particularly in a post-9/11 era) and partly due to individual issues (the tendency to avoid confrontation of that which we fear). However, whatever the cause, a vaccine is available, and it takes the form of moving towards that which we are most afraid of. Immediately.

Fear as an acronym stands for "False Evidence Appearing Real". This false evidence can take many forms, but the key is that it appears real. We perceive something to be scarier than it really is. One good example can be found in sports, when we fear losing (or failing). Think about it: Is there really anything to be scared of? If you do in fact lose, what then will happen? Sure, it might be painful, but hasn't everyone lost at one point or another in competition? Of course! So why fear losing if it happens to everyone? Not only is fear of losing or failure a waste of time-it also puts you in a reactive, more passive mode of competing. Reactive, passive competitors are more likely to perform poorly in a competitive environment. So don't waste your time fearing losing. Instead, spend your time:

1. Identifying your biggest fears (in sport, in competition, in life). These are the fears that hold you back the most. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of injury, fear of risk taking.

What are the consequences of harboring some of these fears?

-Fear of failure: you will never fully give all of yourself to competition if you are afraid of losing

-Fear of success: you're less likely to win, obviously, if you have mixed emotions about being able to deal with success (and the responsibilities that come with it)

-Fear of injury: you're more likely to be injured, as you will be more tentative

-Fear of risk-taking: you'll never risk, and therefore, never gain.

2. Setting about a plan to attack these "falsehoods". Without a plan, there is no prescription for removal of these fears.

Dr. Smith's prescriptions:

-For fear of failure: Go out and fail on a daily basis. Get used to it, because humans do fail, and you are human. Might as well learn to live with it.

-For fear of success: Get straight in your mind that success is a great alternative to mediocrity. Really.

-For fear of injury: Get back on the bull (so to speak) as soon as possible after being injured (but cleared to compete). The longer you wait, the greater your fear will be.

-For fear of risk-taking: take risks, but on a large and frequent scale, and in every area of your life. Ask people out on dates. Ask for favors. Tell someone who is bugging you how you really feel. Ask a sport psychologist for assistance. (Just kidding, but not really!)

3. Moving towards instead of away from these fears. You will discover that the closer you move towards that which you fear, the less scary those fears are. Sort of like the first time you stood up to the school bully and realized that he or she was not so tough when confronted. You were perceiving based on "false evidence".

Moving towards fear in your daily life means doing that which you hate/detest/fear/loathe/don't want to do, and doing that thing first, before all else. For me, that means going jogging at 7 am on these dark, winter mornings. For you it might mean something else. However, the key to beating back our irrational and disabling fears is to run, not walk, towards them at every chance. By doing so, you will prove to yourself how silly those fears are in the first place, as they provide no inherent value in your life. They merely hold you back from reaching your true potential.

Copyright (2003) Leif H. Smith, Psy.D. All rights reserved.

Performance expert Leif H. Smith, Psy.D, is the president of Personal Best Consulting, a consulting firm located in Hilliard, Ohio. To learn more tips and techniques to immediately improve performance in your life and to sign up for his FREE monthly advice newsletter, visit http://www.personalbestconsulting.com

best cleaning company Highland Park ..
In The News:

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.
Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.
Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.
Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.
Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.
Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.
Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.
Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.
Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.
New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.
A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.
AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.
A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.
New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.
Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.
Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.
Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.
Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.
Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.
Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

The Subtlety of Language

I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our... Read More

Plan On Opposition to Your New Ideas. It?s Normal!

Lets face it, no one enjoys rejection. But the reality... Read More

Maximizing Your Potential: Using Your Brain to Think

The Chicago Times once printed that Henry Ford was an... Read More

The Winner Walk

The Winner's Walk is a key strategy in the sport... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Have A Pitch Party

Have a "Pitch Party" Invite friends and work together to... Read More

Leading And Influencing An Audiance Of One Or A Hundred

Because Not All Skills Are Equal?Public Speaking MasteryHello,Tom Cruise is... Read More

Re-defining Success in Midlife

When entering second adulthood, many women will begin a journey... Read More

8 Ways to Get Off The Success-Go-Round and Have a Consistent Flow of Success

Are you consistently chasing success? Once you achieve it, do... Read More

Success: How To Succeed Most of the Time

We set goals, strive for them and only consider ourselves... Read More

Change Your Thinking -- Change Your Life!

The only thing in life we have direct control over... Read More

Is Money Everything?

Money will buy me a house, but not a home,... Read More

How to Lose Your Money, Fake Your Destiny with Great Success

Everyone talks about how to be successful through hard work... Read More

Balance Of Life

Mary and Susan were friends for years. They grew up... Read More

Belief And Action Succeed

For centuries Protestant Christians have argued that you can reach... Read More

If You?re Not Where You Want To Be In Life, It?s Your Own Fault

Have you ever wondered why you're not where you want... Read More

More Effective Communication - Weight Loss For Your Mouth

Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More

Characteristics of Successful People

Each human being, who exists above the level of simple... Read More

The Dynamics of Competitive Mentality

Life is not a competition.Not at all. Life itself is... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Have A Theraputic Meltdown

Have a therapeutic meltdown It's crunch time: you're two days... Read More

Liberating Success Lessons from Singing - If It Is Rubbish, It Is Rubbish; If It Is Not, It is Not

Reggie Yates, a pop song presenter, was singing on 7th... Read More

Personal Excellence: Whats Your Motivation? (Part 3 of 3)

After 13 years of being married to the same woman... Read More

Why You Cant Budget For Success

Do you constantly find yourself saying "I can't afford it"... Read More

Success: The Slight-Edge Formula

Self-improvement; A great deal has been written on the subject,... Read More

Number One Killer Of Could-Have-Been Success Stories

Fear.Everything in this world has its opposite.Good has bad.Optimism has... Read More

The Secret to Intense Focus By

One of the common elements you see in almost all... Read More

high-end home cleaning Winnetka ..