Empower Your Fear: Leverage Your Fears To Rise Above Mediocrity and Turn Self-Doubt Into a Confident Plan of Action by Scott Allan

Author:Scott Allan [Allan, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2016-02-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7:

Adopting a “Nothing to Lose” Mindset

“Worrying about scarcity is our culture's version of post-traumatic stress. It happens when we've been through too much, and rather than coming together to heal (which requires vulnerability) we're angry and scared and at each other's throats.”

— Brene Brown

I was once a very indecisive person. Before making any decision, I would weigh all the odds of risk. I would balance the risk with the reward and I would also consider the losses if my choices went bad.

I would weigh heavily on the outcome, and what would stop me from making a decision or taking action toward something that could seemingly change my life for the better was the fear of loss. If I failed and made the wrong choice, I’d lose something very precious to me. The fear of loss is the all-consuming excuse we employ that keeps us stuck in doing the same things and not trying anything new.

But what if I fail?

Yes, you might. You probably will fall down a few times. Someday soon, you’re going to die as well. When we’re on our deathbeds, will we still be asking that same question of all the things we never tried: “What if I fail?”

By not choosing, you’re choosing by default to stay where you are. By delaying a decision that will have an outcome, you’re putting your life on hold…indefinitely. You can only create change or get unstuck if you take action.

Are you waiting for someone else to decide? They will, but it will rarely be in your favor. If you fail to choose or make a decision, someone else will always be willing to choose for you…and you lose your personal power. Your own hand disempowers you.

It’s fear of the outcome that stops us from taking action on a decision. We fear losing something, but ironically, in many cases we fear losing the things we don’t even have.

For example: My friend hated his job. But, he was afraid of having a job interview with another company. When I asked why, he said:

“What if they reject me, or they tell me that my skills aren’t enough for the position? What if I take the job, it doesn’t work out, and then I have to quit? I’ll have no job opportunities to fall back on. What if they stick me in the HR department and…”

My friend was stuck in the “What if” game that trips everyone up when it comes to making decisions. Focused on the negative outcome possibilities that are inevitably a risk, we worry about what will happen. What if it doesn’t work out? What if they don’t like me? What if I lose money? What if I have to start over again?

There’s no such thing as a perfect decision. If you wait until the timing is right, the moment is perfect, or all the stars are in perfect alignment, you’ll wait forever.

Then, somebody else will make the decision you didn’t. They’ll gain what you walked away from.

But the point isn’t that you win or lose by deciding.

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