Ambitions vs. Fears: How to Deal with Both

Perhaps, it’s a dog, a snake, darkness of the night, death, losing a job, not finishing school, a cockroach, deep water, heights, a crowd, or maybe your father or mother. Any of these can be your fear.

We may question if there is a person in this world that did not have a fear of anything or anyone? How can fear get in the way of someone’s ambition or dreams? Let’s find out.

a man with a worried face

Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the longest First Lady of the U.S. (1933 – 1945), said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You can say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

First Lady Elanor must have gone through many challenges in her service when her husband was the U.S. President. She might have conquered her fears and achieved all her aspirations as of the right hands of the president, that she was able to have this firm conviction in saying that “You have to look fear in the face.” How can fear limit and hinder someone from achieving a goal?

A silhouette of a man walking and a shadow of huge hands and a head with hollow sparkling eyes

Fear is considered a primitive human emotion, which means it’s innate and it’s also powerful. Fear comes from two leading causes: physical threat and psychological threat. We experience anxiety due to the body’s biological and emotional response to alert us in the presence of danger or the danger of harm, either real or imaginary.

BIOCHEMICAL REACTION

Ancient and primitive humans had fears. They feared their enemies, famine, and drought, and they feared death. It is because fear is a universal emotion and a survival mechanism. That’s why when we are faced with either physical or psychological threats, and we sweat, our heart rate increases, adrenaline levels make us highly alert. This bodily response is called the “fight or flight” response, with which the body prepares to either face and fight fear or run away. This response is crucial to human survival.

EMOTIONAL RESPONSE

Meanwhile, the emotional response to fear is subjective. The way we handle situations vary depending on our emotional capacity. Some things and scenarios cause you goosebumps, and pulses, while others seen them as fun. Some people are adrenaline seekers, thrilled by extreme sports and other fear-inducing situations.

Fear can be anywhere and can also be a powerful emotion and response to our daily life. Fear is normal but can become a gigantic enemy when uncontrolled and not dealt with properly. It can cause a physical and mental breakdown. It can also get in the way of our goals and ambitions.

A person who is new to a business is usually experiencing anxiety, has doubts and fears about whether the business will go well, there will be an easy return of investment, or will the business grow and prosper. To ensure that your fears don’t hinder you to a good future, you must be master over your fears, again, as what Eleanor Roosevelt said, “you must look fear in the face” and shew it away!

To live a peaceful and successful life, you need to get your fear in check. And by understanding these three principles listed below, you can get a grip on your fear. Here are some ways to do it and establish a habit of training yourself to properly deal with every fear that interferes with your ambitions.

HOW TO DEAL WITH FEARS TO REACH A GOAL

Discard Non-Physical Fears

Discard anything that gets in the way of your physical balance, including anxiety-driven fears linked to emotional damage, self-doubt, or limiting beliefs. To realize your true potential, you must reduce unnecessary, emotionally-based fears.

Fear Brings More Fear

When fear stays longer inside you, the more concrete they become in your psyche. Being fearful over a long period will affect your ability to do things, especially when these fears are directly related to your process of reaching your ambitions. When it’s your first time to venture into a business and face challenges, you cannot stay longer on the negative thoughts as they will influence your decision-making and might cause you just to quit to get away with all the pressures and stressors.

Release Lack Thoughts to Release Fear

When you stick to believing that you lack, then many emotional and anxiety-driven fears arise. You are anxious that the startup costs are beyond your capacity, and you lack available resources. Perhaps, you worry that you lack skills and the time to develop the necessary skills. Although that might be real in your present situation, dwelling on those negativities doesn’t help in any way. It just lowers your self-esteem and the courage to pursue what you have started or wanted to create.

Fears are part of life. But when you learn to push past fears, you will always accomplish more than those who succumb to them.