"The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That's the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!" -George S. Patton
Each of us face the worry or anxiety when preparing for big events. It could be that presentation at work, meeting the in-laws, steadying oneself for a job interview. We become nervous and the butterflies in our stomach begin to float about. All the while, we are preparing to do battle with our fears. Having the worry or anxiety doesn't help any.
But the preparation must go on. We must collect all of our fears and deal with them. One-by-one we slay them as we march towards the real fight in which we will succeed. Success though is only found if we defeat the fears first.
On a recent business trip to London, UK, I had an afternoon free of any meetings. It is during these times that I like to take the opportunity to take short visits to museums or other places of interest. Near to my hotel was the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington.
It is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, that displays a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. It was named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria and was founded in 1852.
As I walked through, I came upon a collection of battle armor and weapons. While old and antiquated from my perspective, they were marvels of their time. These were the weapons that men took into battle. They were used to conquer fear and to fight oppression. In some cases they were used for the wrong purposes. But they were the tools used in those times.
I am not suggesting that you take up weapons to fight your fears. What I am suggesting is that we wage war daily against fears that bind us. The battle to overcome that which is keeping us from success must be dealt with. We have many different tools from which to draw from and use.
And there are plenty of resources out there you can use to figure out which tools will work for you. Some of the tips I have come across are;
1. Take time out. Step back, take a breath and relax.
2. What’s the worst that can happen? Don't make the fear larger then it really is.
3. Expose yourself to the fear. Confront it, see what it really is.
4. Welcome the worst. See number two.
5. Get real. Knowledge can have a crushing effect upon fear.
6. Don’t expect perfection. Nothing is perfect and neither is the fear.
7. Visualise. See number one.
8. Talk about it. Discuss the fear with others.
9. Go back to basics. A good sleep, good meal and a walk are often the best cures.
10. Reward yourself. When you slay one dragon, bask in the victory and treat yourself before moving onto the next fire-breathing fear.
Remember that the fear is inside of us, not some army that needs to be defeated. It is not some monster of epic proportion awaiting us on the other side of the door. No, fear is a menacing thing that resides inside of us.
Gird yourself for battle in order to defeat the fear inside of you. Become the victor over those fears and lay them wasted along the roadside. There will be success in the end.
Stay inspired my friends.
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