“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”
-African Proverb
I have a keynote speaking engagement coming up pretty soon. I have been preparing for this presentation for over a month now and was feeling pretty confident until a couple of days ago. A few days ago my friends Chester and Lester showed up. “Who do you think you are?” Chester asks. “You are going to fail.” Lester affirms. These are the voices in my head that I named Chester and Lester. These are the voices of fear. They come from the ego, I know that they want to protect me but I also know they are inaccurate because they don’t know what I am capable of doing, they don’t know my strength. Sinergy, my true voice reminds Chester that I am a powerful speaker, who has an exceptional message that will bring individuals closer to their purpose. She informs Lester that I will not fail because I am prepared and have true value to bring! We all have those voices in our head. Chester and Lester can be louder and more obnoxious, but if you silence your mind and focus your attention on your true voice, your Sinergy, fears and doubts will go away!
What lies are your Chester and Lester telling you? Have you named your true voice?
If you want to be successful in a business or in life you need to take risks. These risks take massive action that will push you to do things that may need you to conquer your fears. One thing I need you to understand about fear is that it is absolutely normal and part of our human experience. It’s those voices that you hear that tell you are not smart enough, pretty enough or strong enough to go after your goals and dreams. Your Chester and Lester have good intentions, but your spirit was not intended to stay safe in a box. One thing you must never forget is that fear should never hold you back and prevent you from taking action and go after what you want in life. Here are three ways to overcome fear.
Focus on your Sinergy Voice.
If you silence your Chester and Lester, you will discover that you too have a Sinergy voice. Now this voice you should listen to. This voice is the voice that truly knows what you are capable of doing and becoming. If it’s hard for you to find this voice develop affirmations that build you and increase your self-confidence. Hang around people that believe in you and build you up. Read uplifting books to help with that negative inner dialogue that goes in your mind. Last but not least believe in yourself. Believe that you have what you need to be successful in your business and life.
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!
Fear pops in when you have not prepared yourself for a task. In my case one way that I get rid of my Chester and Lester when I have a presentation to do is by reminding them that I am prepared. That in fact I do know what I am doing and should not be afraid. Fear comes out of the insecurities that you don’t know how to do something. Learn the task and conquer those fears!
Get comfortable with fear.
The fastest way to get over fear is to conquer it! One of my biggest fears is public speaking, yet I decided to defeat this fear by putting myself in the arena as much as I can. Not doing things that frighten you will increase the likelihood that your fears will become bigger. You want to control your fears not the other way around. You should do one thing every day that scares you. When you do something every day that scares you, your courage grows little by little. In my case, I get to hear less and less of Chester and Lester.
To make the bold decision to not let fear sabotage your dreams is the best decision you can make to ensure future success. It is not easy, but being aware of your fears and facing them instead of running away from them is the key to living fully. Remember to get out of your comfort zone and let your Chester and Lester know what you are made of. Until next time, Believe. Change. Become!