“When you have come to the edge of all that you know and are about to step off into the darkness, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught to fly.” – Richard Bach

It’s pretty normal for all of us to feel hesitant when we want to try something new. The underlying fear of failure is crippling. There are some who even fear getting what they want and finding out that it’s not really as great as they dreamed it to be.

The first fear is totally understandable but there are some ways to go about it. Focus on trying something that’s simple and realistic first. It can be a new recipe; the new computer software or even the basics of a new language. The object of the game is to learn something to stimulate your senses and if you master it, think of the energy boost you’ll get! Slowly, you’ll start getting the courage to try something else – it could be another simple thing or a bit more complicated. A few more of these and you’ll be confident enough to try whatever goals you want to accomplish. 

The second fear can be re-worded as the fear of disappointment and is altogether as real as the fear of failure is.  Some unfortunate thing probably happened after you achieved a dream that scared you to try something else. Your psyche associated the terrible outcome – a divorce, a disaster or a death – in the family with the achievement. Or it could be a dozen other different reasons. Whatever it was, you got trapped in the status quo. A psychological counselor can help those who’ve reached the point that this fear becomes a phobia but to those who can still recognize that they want to change, there’s still hope. Again, if there’s a will to change however slight it may be, there will be a way to do it. A single baby step toward a new goal is great – nobody expects a power walk at the first try anyway.

Whatever fear you have, challenge yourself to face the obstacles. Problems are always there and so are their solutions. One easy thing to do that can help a lot is to have some sort of a mantra or an affirmation like: “I want to ____ and I choose to do ____ to achieve this.” It verbalizes your thoughts and helps you focus on the correct way to pull it off. There will be times when you’ll encounter some setbacks but take it slow, cut yourself some slack and try again. Eventually, you’ll get it.

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