Are You Too Scared To Dream?

Fear might hold you back from going after your dreams - but it shouldn't have to.

If you allow fear to control you, then you're simply guaranteeing failure. By worrying about the consequences of your every action, you may paralyze yourself with fear - leaving you unwilling to take action to achieve your dreams. But choosing the "safe" path of inaction is self-sabotaging. When you don't act and this avoid the opportunity for failure, you also deny yourself the opportunity to succeed. The harder you work and the more risks you take, the more chances you give yourself to find success. Achieving your dreams is a probability game. You may not succeed the first time you attempt something, or even the second. But the more risks you take, the higher the probability you will succeed. That's not possible if fear keeps you from acting at all.

Perhaps fear is holding you back from living your dream or achieving success. You may have an idea of what you want to achieve in your life. Perhaps you want to publish a novel or graduate from law school. But as you begin to envision this future, you pull back. Having this dream, or planning on this achievement being a part of your future, is risky. You choose not to consider the possibility, believing you'll jinx it. But by not setting these hopes as goals, you're leaving yourself without a plan and a direction. Your fears become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Having a dream and envisioning it can also be a powerful motivating tool - you should allow yourself to imagine what it will feel like to sign your book deal or cross the stage at graduation.

How do you keep your fears from sabotaging you? First of all, it's important to acknowledge that you feel fear. By identifying exactly what you are afraid of, you can take ownership of your feelings and proactively address them.

Determine exactly what your fear is - and then, although it sounds counterproductive, envision the worst-case scenario. Then, more importantly, picture how you would respond. Are you afraid of failing at work and being fired? You would find a new job. Are you afraid of breaking up with your significant other? You would eventually find someone else better suited to you. Are you afraid of financial trouble? You would cut back on expenses.

By considering how you would deal with any scenario that arises, you'll recognize that even the worst-case scenario isn't truly so bad - leaving you less afraid of failure. When you're confident you can deal with any crisis that arises, you'll be more willing to take risks. That in itself becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, giving you the confidence to dream big without fear holding you back...
             
              Gerald Joseph Mtenga,the business and entrepreneurship ideas writer from Tanzania!!