When faced with fear, we often talk ourselves out of taking action. Most of the time, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
1. Breathe!
When we are excited, we get body sensations that can stop
us. Stop, take some deep breaths and then proceed. This is especially
important to help your voice sound calm when your knees are
shaking.
2. Remember, it isn't about you!
When you get rejection, it is usually because the other
person doesn't need what you are offering. It isn't personal. They may
just be having a bad day. Or if they are genuinely a nasty person,
they gave you a break by not prolonging the relationship!
3. Picture The WORST
Can you live through that? We awfulize most things and
imagine the outcome far worse than it usually is. Ask yourself, what
is the worst that can happen? Most of the time, you can handle it!
4. Master The Topic
If we feel confident in our knowledge, the fear about
sharing it with others decreases. Even if they don't see value or
agree with us, we feel okay, because we have developed an expertise
that gives us confidence in ourselves.
5. Put something at stake or give yourself reward
A reward or penalty that is big enough will motivate
sometimes. A sales trainer coached a real estate agent in making
regular prospecting calls to write a check for $1000 to his ex-wife
and have his secretary send it any day he did not make the number of
prospecting calls he said he would.
6. Get a Buddy
Taking on something fearful with another person often will
get you through it and keep you from having those dialogues in your
head that try to talk you out of it. A coach can also help shine light
into those dark areas!
7. Talk about it out loud
Once you identify the fear and talk about it out loud, it
will often diminish. Another technique is to close your eyes and
picture yourself doing that thing you are afraid to do. Now run
through the same scene but do it very fast. Now run through it very
slow, next make it silly, make it brighter, make it dimmer. Has some
of the fear dissipated?
8. Read something inspirational or listen to tapes.
9. Use your strengths-take the easy way!
Sometimes
we focus on thinking we "should" do things that just aren't our
strengths. Take a look to see if you can accomplish what you want
some other way. What easy ones can you do first? How can you
leverage what you already have without having to tackle an unknown.
10. If you have a frog to swallow, do it quickly
Don't look at it too long. Sometimes, there is no way
around the fact, you are going to have to take an action that is
fearful. The longer you fret about it, there more energy you waste.
JUST DO IT!!!!