by Jeff Marr
Everything you want is on the other side of fear. In their own way, Steven Pressfield and Seth Godin both said we should ‘Use our fear as a compass’.
When you find yourself lost, doubting, unsure of the right action to take, use your fear as a compass to point you in the right direction. Most of the time the thing you are most afraid of doing is the exact thing that you need to be doing.
This is something I’m sure you’ve realized before. All of your dreams are attainable, but you have to go through some shit to get to them.
Whether you want to go on a date with a coworker, have more confidence, or get your dream body, today I present you 3 simple tips to get past your fears and expand your comfort zone.
Follow these three simple steps to achieve your dreams:
Find out what you don’t want to do, and go do it
There’s no other way of getting over your fear, you have to feel the fear, do what you have to, and then reflect afterwards to see if it was so bad. Usually it isn’t as bad as we thought.
Next… Do it again, and again.
TIP: Act before your brain has a chance to come up with excuses for why you shouldn’t do it. (Make the cold-call, approach the attractive guy/gal, say “yes” to adventure.)
NOTE: This requires that you think about what you want ahead of time, and not just jumping in front of traffic because it scares you. Think about actions that will get you to your desired end-goal, and execute those actions before excuses crop up.
Focus On The Process, Not On The Results
Instead of writing down a results oriented goal like “Lose 20lbs”, use a process oriented goal: “Exercise for 1h three times per week.”
If you are focused on the results, you will get discouraged.
Anytime you do what you’re supposed to do, congratulate yourself, even if it didn’t work out. Even Starbucks failed multiple times before getting it right. You have to have faith that it will work out eventually.
Trust in the process.
Tip: Ask yourself “If I continue to __________(workout 3x/week, read for 1h/day, meditate everyday etc.), how will I feel after 1 year of doing this consistently? How will I feel after 5 years of this? 10 years? What will the benefits be for me, and the people around me?
Write these down and duck tape it to your fridge!
The Key To Transformation Is Persistence
“Long term consistency trumps short term intensity.”
Bruce Lee knew what he was talking about. If you hit a tree with an axe and it falls down after the hundredth swing, you know that it wasn’t the one swing that took down the tree; it was the compounded effect of the 99 swings before that.
When developing courage, you have to consistently put yourself into situations that test you. Even if you don’t completely understand the situation at hand, force yourself to endure it. Before you know it you’ll be that person that can “handle anything”.
Live on the edge of your comfort zone.
Tip: When someone asks you to do something that makes you feel a little uncomfortable, provided it’s not dangerous, just say yes. Sure you will be uncomfortable, but you’re also growing.
This growth is something that makes humans feel very fulfilled. Would you agree?
If you find situations everyday that you can use to expand your comfort zone, before long, you’ll be comfortable looking fear dead in the eye.
Jeff Marr says, “I started as a skinny guy with low self confidence. I fixed these problems and then some by becoming physically and mentally fit. Now I want to use my knowledge to show you how you can improve your life too!” The article is culled from his fitness blog, Real Fitness. Connect with him on YouTube and Google Plus and Email.
