Know How to Take Risks and Abandon Your Intolerable Fears

It is pretty comfortable to sit back and keep the status quo. After all, if you do not rock the boat, you cannot fall into the water. But with few risks, there are few rewards.

Abandon Your Fears

You already recognize that accepting risks is, well, risky. To develop courage, you need to master your fears. But, it is not as straightforward as it sounds. If you have spent the better part of your life with fear, it is ingrained in your subconscious, but it is not impossible to change. All you require now is the willingness to overcome your fears. When you want to abandon your fears, there is nothing that can stop you!

Here are a few tips to keep fear at bay:

1. Recognize Your Fears. Recognize your fears for what they are. You will soon discover how your fears are limiting you by your reactions to them.

• Let's say you are afraid of driving. If you are ever in the driver's seat, your response might be a quick "Oh no! Get me out of here!" If you continue this pattern of thinking, you will forever be afraid. Acknowledge that the fear is real, but challenge yourself to tackle the situation with courage and inner strength.

2. Overcome the Fear. Many times we are afraid of something because it stays in the unknown. We may label something as risky because we do not yet know or understand what is going on.

• An example is avoiding college because you are fearful of meeting new people, the workload, and so on. To overcome this fear, you can get acquainted with the college campus, the courses you enroll in, and the people you encounter so you can feel more comfortable and confident. Doing so eases the fear of the unknown and gives you a sense of relief.

3. Change Your Way of Thinking. If you can modify the way you think about a specific situation, you will then act differently. Your fears might overwhelm your thoughts at times, but your job is to put a stop to this.

• For example, if you think you will never achieve your goals, you won't. But when you believe in yourself, you are far more likely to succeed!

How to Take On the Risks

As you overcome your fears mentally, it is time to take risks. Whether or not you realize it, you take risks every day. Most risks are pretty minor, but risk accompanies nearly every decision you make.

Follow these suggestions to help you get into a risk-taking mindset:

• The word "risk" may sound negative; instead, think of it as more of an "adventure" or "journey."
• Visualize a positive outcome.
• Consider the reasons why you are cautious about taking a risk.
• When you have a set goal in place, taking a risk is a whole lot less threatening.
• When you have leaped, evaluate your experience so you can improve in the future.
• Self-confidence is the essential ingredient to success.

Putting it all Together

If you are feeling tentative about the whole thing, get your feet wet with small steps. You cannot expect yourself to change radically overnight, but at the same time, you must believe in yourself, and that change is possible.

Conquering fears and taking risks go hand in hand. Start small, but dream huge. You only get one journey on this earth, so you might as well make the most of it!

Happy New Year! May the coming year be full of grand adventures and opportunities.