The best motivator for excellence is fear. When you are fearful this is an indication that you are embarking on something new. The absence of fear is the absence of change.
Do not use fear as an excuse to remain stagnant in your career. Fear is so powerful that it holds most of us back. Have you ever wondered how some people are able to advance in their career and seem to have a unique story to tell? Well first and foremost they did not allow fear to hold them back or use it as an excuse. They recognize the fear in their journey but they also recognize the potential on the other side.
Think of fear as the following:
F – Fight
E – Engage
A – Advance/Apply
R – Repeat
Fight
Fear makes you naturally want to run for your life. However, fight this urge. Do not let fear win the fight. If fear wins, then you have not made any changes; you have remained stagnant. However, if you win the fight with fear, then you have transformed. Think of the rays of sunlight bursting through on a cloudy day. That is the fight with fear. When you win, you have overcome an obstacle, which has made you stronger. This will to fight against something that is instinctually unpleasant, helps you to go places in your career that others will not venture. This is how you stand out among the crowd.
Engage
Become engaged with yourself to recognize that when you feel fearful, that means change and growth is right around the corner. Be that optimistic person that thrives to know that fear is their motivator. Successful people have all experienced fear at some point in their lives. Fear is a natural emotion! What differentiates the successful from the ordinary is that they fought the urge to run from fear and then they engaged with fear. Fear became their friend. Let fear be your friend and watch your career blossom. When you are asked to do something new and challenging, don’t let fear hold you back – Say YES to the opportunity.
Advance
As a result of fighting the urge to run from fear and engaging with fear, you have advance as a person. Even if you failed at whatever you feared, you have grown. You have learned what not to do and in the process, re-affirm something you may have known about yourself. In your career and life, failing helps to build character. This character will help you to advance. You never know when the skills you learned when you failed or the story you gained will be the icing on the cake to help you advance in your career. If you didn’t fail, then you have just used fear to motivate you to make a change, apply, and advance in your career. Say YES to fear and enjoy the ride. Change will result from fear.
Repeat
Repeat the process again and again until it becomes a part of you.
Fear is an absolute necessity in answering the question of how did he or she do that. Everyone is afraid of failing or the unknown. But if you are able to use fear as your motivator, you will engage in the opportunities that are necessary to advance your career. DON’T BE AFRAID – It is a blessing in disguise.
