Throughout this article I will explain to what I’ve come to understand about fear and how you can overcome it. I know the title says get rid of, but the truth is you can never get rid of it. But you can learn how to overcome it.
First I want to touch on fear and why it’s ridiculous and necessary at the same time, then I’ll tell you some tips on how you can overcome it.
You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about fear lately and why so many people are paralyzed by it. I consider myself to be very knowledgeable in the area of fear; there is good reason for this.
I’ll tell you why…
For eight years of my life I was a commercial fisherman in Northern Alaska. I fished the Arctic Ocean at the worst times of year; I can’t really put into words what it’s like.
Whether a crab boat, or a long liner it was ruthless and unforgiving. There is nothing that can put the real intensity of stepping out on deck in high seas.
I’m talking 40 and 50 ft. swells, blizzards, and wind so strong you can barely stand. All the while it’s about -20 out, you’re soaking wet from head to toe and its pitch black out.
It was always pitch black out…
Hellish cold which severs the feeling in the body and make it’s hard to do pretty much anything. Often times, if the weather is bad enough you are all alone for hours. Every time you step on deck you hear that 4000 pound door shut behind you, and it’s you, the fish, and the ocean.
Fear is just another part of the day, there is no line tying you in. There is no one to comfort you, and if you go in the water you die. That’s the risk you take every day when you’re on one of these boats. And you see grown men cry, go crazy, piss themselves, quit, fall asleep, get knocked out and worse.
All the while you’re working as hard as a man can possibly work in the worst conditions on the planet and to throw another pile on it you’re usually hundreds of miles from land. I loved every second of it, and I would have quit had I not had issues with the problems the environment was facing and how we were contributing.
Sometimes you have a change of heart.
This is only one aspect of the fear that I faced for nearly a decade of my life; the type of fear that is so deep it changes you as a person. When you live with it all the time you can’t help but change.
After those trips everything else gets kind of muffled. And easy to deal with, you get addicted to the fear though it becomes a rush.
It’s because of this that I know about fear. You learn to accept it as a part of life, you learn that it’s normal, and there isn’t much to do in certain cases, except act and live through it.
People often fail because of this; they wait intensely for the fear to subside when it never will. The more a person waits for fear to end the more it grows.
Massive action will eliminate the feeling that comes with fear, it’s the only thing. Power soon follows the massive action. And it gets stronger every time until you become invincible. Then the fun starts, once you understand how fear works it becomes a blessing.
Successful people and those who live dangerous lives know that when there is fear and you face it, the EGO gets a little weaker and your personal power gets a little stronger.
Before you know it, there’s a snowball effect and everything that stands in your way becomes trivial.
Everybody gets afraid sometime, and that’s one of the biggest realizations that can help a person get over fear. Understanding that it’s normal and happens to everyone takes a lot of power away from fear.
And it allows you to be much less critical on yourself.
You stop beating yourself up because there’s no point too. And you can’t really view yourself as a victim anymore or as an isolated individual who suffers from fear. That’s where the awareness of it all comes into play and you can just step back and say…
Hey fear, take a hike. You’re not that special anymore.
Having power over you is the best feeling in the world. Most people rarely ever get that, but anyone can, and anyone can overcome fear. If you really look at the situation, I mean really look at it you see it’s not that big of a deal.
It’s probably not as dangerous as sitting on the deck of a Bering Sea fishing boat in the dead of winter up in the middle of the Arctic. That’s a legitimate time to have fear, not when you don’t know how you’re going to pay your bills next month.
Because the truth is that 99% of all things people worry about which is the same thing as being afraid never even happen. Yet one more reason to stop being so scared all the time.
My view on fear may be different; I’ve taken a lot of risk in my life and do my best to not let fear make my decisions for me. I also have some tips now on how you can overcome it.
We can touch on some ideas I already discussed earlier.
1. We assert that fear is normal; that everyone gets it and it doesn’t make you weak or different.
2. We agree that it will never go away and that if you wait for fear to dissolve before acting you’ll be waiting forever.
3. We understand fully that the fastest way to overcome fear is to act. Here are two quotes which emphasize my point.
“Do the thing and you will have the power.” – Emerson
“Do the thing you’re afraid to do and the death of fear is certain.” – Mark Twain
4. We all agree that the more you face fear the more power you will get over yourself and the more you will accomplish.
5. We agree that when we are afraid to do something than that is the thing that should be done first.
Ok so now that we’ve established these simple rules here are a few tips I can give you. They are some incantations you can use to strengthen your will. When it gets strong enough you won’t have to use it anymore because it’ll be that easy.
This first one is very important –
1. I am the type of person who acts in spite of fear, worry, doubt or aversion of any kind.
The reason this is such a strong affirmation is that when you say “I am the type of person…” You’re talking about your core beliefs and values; you’re very being and who you are in your essence.
The next one I recommend is…
2. No matter what happens I’ll handle it.
This is from the book Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, and gets a notable mention in No More Mr. Nice Guy. Both very good books I should add.
The reason I believe that this is such a great saying is that most people get paralyzed with fear because they feel that they won’t be able to take on the challenges that life throw at them, the rejection, failures, and trials that occur on a regular basis in life
If you’re one of these people you should understand that you’ve made it this far and are still here, so if you can handle what has already happened of course you can handle anything else. Just weigh the problems you’ve already overcome against what you are currently facing and you’ll see that there really isn’t anything to worry about.
Another one I that I love is…
3. What one man can do another man can do.
Many times we see people get stuck with fear because they are afraid of failure. Anything that you may want to do has already been done to some extent or degree so there is no reason that you can’t t does it too.
Every time you repeat these they strengthen you internally… And eventually you act without hesitation. It gets easier and easier every day.
The last idea that I want to leave you with before I say goodbye is that life isn’t so serious; you can stop making mountains out of mole hills at any time. Think about how big the problem really is you’re facing, it usually isn’t near as bad as you’re making it out to be in most cases.
In spite of all this, just remember that fear happens to everyone, it comes in many shapes and forms like worry, overwhelm, frustration, doubt, worry, confusion, and care. And remember that everyone goes through these states and there is no reason to beat yourself up over them
Just keep smiling and moving forward and the next time that little voice pops in your head, repeat the follow mantra over and over again.
“Shut the Fuck Up.” You control that little voice; it can’t control you unless you let it.
I believe in you!
Hank Klinger
“Freedom Artist”
P.S. If you’d like to follow me in my travels or connect with me please feel free to shoot me a message on one of the social networks and let me know you read this blog. Take care!!!