Eliminate Fear Using These Five Tips

     "And I was afraid and I went and hid thy talent in the earth; lo. there thou hast what is thine"  Mathew 25 , 25.  Mathew 25, "The Parable of The Talents" is my favorite Bible story.  The first servant took what his lord trusted him with and doubled it in the marketplace.  The second servant did likewise.  The third servant, the villain of the story, was afraid.  He was fearful.  He did not use the money, the talent, that his lord had trusted him with.  HE WAS AFRAID.

     The first thing that you have to do to eliminate fear is to admit that you are afraid.  Admit it to yourself.  You do not have to tell anyone else.

     Ask yourself this question," Other than fear, what would prevent me from...."

     Calling that prospect
     Asking that person for a date
     Attending that first meeting

     Admit that you are afraid.  Once you admit that you are fearful, how can you get yourself to do what ever you need to do in spite of your fears?    Start.  "Do the thing you fear.  Fear will disappear"  Some famous person said that.  Can you think of a hundred things that you used to be afraid to do that evoke not one ounce of fear today?   Surely you can.   Remember swimming across the pool for the first time.   If you are afraid to call prospects, call one anyway.  Then call another.

     Practice.  Practice.  Practice.  As I was writing this article, I Googled the word fear.  A quote from Bruce Lee, the greatest martial artist ever, came up.  The quote was, "I fear not the man that has practiced 10,000 kicks.  I fear the man that has practiced one kick 10,000 times."

     If you want to eliminate fear, practice until you are  so good at what you do that you could not possibly mess it up.  You could do this with one recipe.  You could do this with one presentation.  You could do this with one skill.

     If you are a salesman, you could practice your prospecting phone call every day on 25 strangers.  It would not take long until you were goooooooood on the phone.  You would probably overcome your fear of calling strangers on the phone.

Do the thing you fear.  Fear will disappear. 

     Another favorite Bible story is David and Goliath.   When David went out to fight the giant Goliath, he did not go to fight him in hand to hand combat.  He did not go to fight Goliath with a club or a sword.  He went to fight Goliath with a weapon that he had been practicing with for many years.  David slung a rock from thirty feet away.  Do what you are good at.  You get good by practicing.

     Hang around with people that are not fearful.  Who you associate with affects your fear.  If every one else is jumping off the high diving board, it must be an OK thing to do.  Once you do it, you know it is an OK thing to do.  Maybe you would not have jumped if your comrades were afraid.

     When I was in college, we went to a sink hole in Pinellas county Florida to go scuba diving.  When we got out in the woods to this sink hole there were about twenty 12 year olds jumping out of a forty foot tree.  There were wooden steps nailed to the tree that went up to a little platform made out of two 2x4s .  These little kids were  lined up climbing up the little wooden steps and jumping into the water.  It looked scary to me.  It looked scary to my classmates.  When that little six year old girl climbed up and jumped, I knew I had to go.  When I hit the water, I went so deep I did not think I would have enough breath to get back to the surface,  I had to go again.  Do the thing you fear.  Fear will disappear.

     Remind yourself constantly that the other people you encounter are fearful also.  Why do you have to introduce yourself to that stranger at the convention?  The answers is because he is afraid to introduce himself to you.  Speak first.  It is called leadership.

     Remember the parable of the talents.  The third servant did not live up to the expectations of his boss.  Remind yourself that someone else has trusted you to do this thing.  Someone else thinks you can do it.  What do they know that you do not know?  They know that you have talent and ability and charm and wit and skill.  Recognize your own skill.  If your boss thinks you can go close that deal, he is probably right.  If your boss did not believe in you, she would not have sent you.  It cost the company $$$$$$ to send you.

     The next thing that comes your way that causes you fear, do it.  Eliminating fear will change your life. Admit your fear.  Start.  Practice. Practice. Practice.  Associate with winners.  Remember someone else trusts you.  Speak first.  www.fourseasonstoastmasters.com

     If you are considering a career change, contact Ron at First Real Estate School in Hendersonville, North Carolina www.firstrealestateschool.com .  If a fear of public speaking is holding you back in your career,  join Ron at Four Seasons Toastmasters on Wednesday morning.  Click on the above link.  for information about that.