Sital Ruparelia

Scared of making a vital call?

Worried about sending an email to that contact?

Anxious about confronting your boss or colleague about a situation?

Fearful about making a big decision?

…..do you consequently feel paralysed and powerless?

Okay, following these 5 steps:

1) Write down EXACTLY what you’re scared of

Is it losing your job? Is it the prospect of never finding a ‘proper job’ ? Is it the loss of earnings and financial problems? Or maybe the loss of status or ‘looking bad’?

2. Write down the worst thing that could happen if you did the thing you’re trying to avoid doing?

Play out the worst case scenario

3) Take an educated guess at the chances of that fear actually becoming a reality

Very often, we fear the worst when in fact there is very little chance of the worst becoming a reality. So we allocate excessive time and energy thinking about it – which, of course,  is completely irrational.

4) Write down the TWO biggest things you can do to minimize impact of the worst case scenario

Part of handling fear is taking some control in a given situation. So list two specific actions you could take so as to have more control and handle whatever consequences come up.

5) Quickly take the first step (e.g. send a text, make a call, send an email)

By quick – I mean in the next 24 hours.

When you take yourself through these 5 steps, you often realise how irrational your fear is. You realise that you’re spending 50% of your time fearing an outcome which may only  have a 5 or 10% chance of actually occuring. And if that worst case scenario did play out, you’ve got some key actions to minimize the impact of it.

These steps immediately give you the courage to do the things you fear the most and so help you break out of that self imposed prison called      F-E-A-R (…..False Evidence Appearing Real)