I’m not afraid of the boogie man but I have watched enough episodes of “Snapped” on The Oxygen Channel to make me a tad fearful when my wife, Gwen, gives me the crazy eyes.  Fear is an important emotion.  It keeps us from returning the stalkers call.  It keeps us alert when we’re in the dark alley.  It keeps us away from clowns.  But, fear, can also keep us from stepping out and taking the risk that we know we should take.

I have as many fear issues as anyone.  Having grown up a fat kid, most of my fears stem from the insecurities I learned in the classroom.  Those of looking stupid, sounding dumb or not  being “good enough.”   As a leader, those issues still rear their ugly head when I need to do something that is scary and could (if left unattended) stagnate me (and my team) in a pool of “could have been.”

How about you?  Got a fear demon and need to exorcise it?  Here are a few tips I use:

ONE
Quit worrying.  Worry about the “what ifs” is a huge fear for most.  “What if this?  What if that?” are common objections to taking action.   I always think of the line from “Wayne’s World” of “What if Monkeys fly out of my butt?”  Worry solves nothing, action does – 95% of what we worry about never happens and the other 5% doesn’t matter.  And, if you’re worried about the accuracy of my statistics….DON’T (I made them up…but find them to be true).

TWO
Stop thinking about the “Why Me?” and start thinking “Why NOT me?”  Why shouldn’t you be successful?  You’ve done a LOT of great things!   You are able to leap tall buildings in a single bound…you were the hero at the big game…you can fit FIVE cheeseburgers in your mouth at one time without choking.  Remember those “glory moments” of triumph!   Step out of your own way, give yourself a pep talk, and think about the glory of you.

THREE
Make fear your bitch.  After you quit worrying and get in the right mindset, nut up and take a step.  If I take one step in the direction of what scares me it, in effect, puts fear on the back of the motorcycle.  It also encourages me to take one more step.   I’m either going to realize that there’s nothing to be scared of or I’m going to walk faster to get the hell out of there.  Regardless, I’m in control.

I, like you, have to face the fears of my past all the time.  I can either hide under the blankets, suck my thumb and wait for my mommy to save me OR I can take the risk.  There is no reward without risk.  Do yourself and your team a favor and quit worrying.  Step out…if you do, your team will too (but still stay away from clowns and be weary of the crazy eyes).