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There may be a lot of things in life that we are afraid of. We always procrastinate facing our fears. Everyone knows that we should get out and expand our comfort zone. Less people follow along with it. Yes, It is not easy. It is not supposed to be easy.
What's the worst thing that could happen?
Usually, most of the fears you have are not bad as you think they are. Let's take public speaking as an example.
"What's the worst thing that could happen to you?"
"People will laugh at me"
Well, why do you care so much about what anyone else thinks? You have limited fucks to give in life. You can't give a fuck about what everyone thinks. Prioritize who is important to you. Prioritize the people who want to see you succeed.
You might be missing out on something great
We always visualize ourselves screwing up. Why don't we switch it around and think about the other side of the spectrum? Learning public speaking right now will boost your confidence. People will respect you more. You'll get your dream job. There are infinite possibilities.
Do you want to miss out on all that because of the potential of some fucker in the audience laughing at you? Think about it. Visualize what you will be missing out on.
One Baby Step at a Time
If you are a fan of the TV series F.R.I.E.N.D.S., you should remember how Chandler freaked out on his wedding day.
And do you remember how Ross helped him out? That's right. One step at a time. Going home and getting a shower doesn't sound that hard.
If you tend to freak out when you see the big picture. Break it down into smaller manageable steps.
If you find yourself being lazy about going to the Gym,
Put on your gym clothes and that's it.
Just step outside the house and that is all.
Take the bus or start walking towards the Gym and that's all.
Just go inside the gym and that's it
Since you're already in the gym, might as well just do the treadmill for a few minutes
When we keep telling ourselves that all we have to do is this small thing and that is it, our stupid brain falls for it. I don't know how it happens, but it works all the time.
You can apply this to most of the things in life. If you have writer's block and can't get yourself to write anything, just open the editor and write one sentence. That doesn't sound that hard, does it? More often than not you will find yourself writing multiple paragraphs after that.
Getting started is the hardest part of doing something. Break it down. Make it sound less intimidating. Works like a charm.
5..4..3..2..1..and Go
You may have already heard about the 5-second rule from Mel Robbins.
Whenever you find yourself overthinking something, you can use this rule to take action. According to Mel, all we have is a 5-second window to go from idea to action. Otherwise, our brain will step in and talk us out of it.
Just count to yourself, 5..4..3..2..1 and do the thing.
Can't get yourself out of bed in the morning? 5..4..3..2..1 and go.
Want to talk to a girl at a party? 5..4..3..2..1 and go up to her and just say hi.
You can use this for most of the things in life. If you are interested in learning about the science behind it, check out this video on YouTube.
Be Afraid and Do It Anyway
One of the best life advice I've ever heard came from Missy Cooper from the TV series, Young Sheldon. Sheldon was a kid and he was about to graduate from high school and go to college. He was afraid of how things would change.
He could not sleep the day before graduation. His sister, Missy was laying on the other bed in the room.
Sheldon: "So you were scared ?"
Missy: "Yeah"
Sheldon: "So what do we do ?"
Missy: "I guess be scared and do it anyways"
This conversation helped Sheldon overcome his fear. He graduated the next day and he thanked Missy in his graduation speech.
Change is coming whether we like it or not. Don't try to resist it. Live in the moment and embrace change when it comes.
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