ROADBLOCK SERIES #2:  FEAR.  FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN.

Overcoming FEAR takes work.  Two kinds of it actually: net and team. 

Just the phrase “Fear of the Unknown” seems to be a little confusing.  Why do we respond with fear to an unknown situation?  Is this the appropriate response?  The problem is that we don’t know the proper response.  So, we naturally protect ourselves and treat the situation as a threat. 

Responding with fear is a conditioned response.  When we get ourselves in situations where we don’t have enough information to determine what we should feel, we condition ourselves to respond with fear. 

So, how do we break this trend?  One way is to get more information.  In any situation you get in, there is probably someone else who has been in that situation and has experience with it.  This is the source of your information.

Network.  No matter what situation I get in, I connect with others who  have ‘been there and done that.’  I ask them to share their experiences, including what worked, what didn’t, how they felt, and what they learned.  All of this information helps me form a clearer picture of what to expect.  This way, I don’t let my mind fill in the gaps with information that may be inaccurate and result in a fear that convinces me not to take chances.  Chances that could make me more successful in things I do.

When I was writing my first book, I didn’t know anyone who had done it before.  I knew very little of the process.  The questions I had were overwhelming.  There were so many questions I didn’t know where to begin. So I just wrote down the biggest ones.  Then, I went online and found the contact information for other authors.  I emailed or called them and asked my questions.   The more I did this, the easier it got.  Why?  I was making the unfamiliar, familiar.  That’s what it takes.  Now, I have a lot of connections to authors and no fear of the process.

Teamwork.  Finding people who will share their experiences is a good approach to eradicating fear.  However, there are times I want a quick answer to my questions and networking to find that someone who can provide the solution may take longer than I want.  To overcome the latency in finding answers, I created a team of people similar to myself.  We are all driven to succeed, motivated to try and eager to learn.  We share our thoughts and dreams.  Then, we help each other bring those dreams out of the darkness and into reality. 

When I face a new situation, I refer to my team members who share their thoughts and feelings on the situation.  Even if they haven’t experienced a similar situation, they provide additional insight.  My fear of the situation can only drive me from my experiences.  Since my team isn't experiencing this fear,  they are a little more open-minded and are able to provide a more realistic assessment.  Again, this fills in the gaps in my mind, releasing me of the fear of what I don’t know, because now I have a better idea of what to expect.

Eradicating fear can be done by simply informing yourself.  If you don’t have the information, find those twho do.  Filling the gaps in your mind will provide you enough information to create the correct response, which is, you don’t need to fear anything.

Remember, erase fear with work.  Network and teamwork are great solutions.