Using your Self-Sabotaging Fear to your Advantage

August 19, 2014 by Katie

Your self-sabotaging fear is an indicator. It is a belief that is signaling to your body that whatever action or inaction will cause pain. Whether that be your fear to change careers, to start over, or to start your own business. Fear challenges you to act. Your action either overcomes or succumbs to fear. The choice is yours. No, really. The. Choice. Is. Yours. Let that one sink in for sec…The remainder of this article will provide you with some pointers to aid you in making your choice to overcome or succumb. Either way, you’re in the driver’s seat that takes you down any highway you choose.

4 Tips to Using your Self-Sabotaging Fear to your Advantage

1. Let fear teach you. Seriously, take a moment to listen to your thoughts, to feel the sensations that run throughout your body about whatever is causing you fear. What is it? What is it indicating to you? Is it your ego second guessing your ability or a voice that self-sabotages your quest for success? Write it down. Reflect. Ask yourself why this happens, how frequently it happens, how it makes you feel, and what you have done in the past that proves that misleading, fearful, hesitation is meer mud clouding up your sunny mind.
2. Get scared. Yes, that is right. Get scared. After running through #1, if you’re not freaked out a bit about the emotions behind your fear, you’re not digging deep enough. Here, think about what is it that is truly freaking you out. Why? What is your biggest concern about that fear? Is it that you feel inadequate or unworthy of success? Why do you feel that way? Seriously, get in touch with that inward pessimistic, miserable emotion causing thing in your head. Once you find it. You’ll know. You’ll probably cry. Write it down. Ask yourself, again, is this truly a representation of your most true, positive self? More than likely, no. This is that reality check signal to your brain that your fear is a disillusion causing pain and confusion.
3. Air Traffic Control Your Thoughts. You have control over what you allow into your mind, how it impacts your physiological state, and how you choose to respond to those thoughts. This may be a tough pill for some to swallow, but you must. You are the gatekeeper to your well-being. You need to be on thought alert, and how your thoughts impact your state. To go through exercises #1 & # 2 only to get right back at letting such sabotaging thoughts right back in and expecting something different to happen is insanity! Get serious about protecting your thoughts, state, and responses to thoughts. You are the controller of what goes, stays, and leaves.
4. Rinse & Repeat #1, # 2, & # 3. This is not a one-time exercise that will remove fear, self-doubt, or other limiting beliefs. Rather it is way of life to identifying, analyzing, controlling, and orchestrating the thoughts in which you allow in your life. You can either allow fear to run you, or you can recognize that fear is an illusion of a delusion. You can evaluate why it happens, what it means, confirm with historical personal experiences it is wrong, and move forward. Once one realizes and proactively works toward creating a healthy management of such thoughts, one can use that knowledge to create confidence. Then use that confidence and move forward.

Your life, your choice. Make the most out of your self-sabotaging fearful thoughts. You have control to act on those thoughts and the ability to turn them into something that can truly serve you.

by Katie Doseck, PhD

Chief Visionary | Viral Solutions LLC

Filed Under: Analytics Tagged With: confidence, ego, fear, katie doseck, success