Fear is often seen as a negative thing – and it definitely can be if it’s not managed constructively. In fact, research has shown that up to 84% of people have at least 1 irrational fear and that these irrational fears can hold people back in all areas of their lives including in relationships, career and even fitness. 

However, if harnessed constructively, fear has the potential to be one of the best tools we have to guide us through our lives. It’s core purpose after all, is to help us keep our own best interest in mind.

In this blog post, I want to share with you a few reasons why you should be using fear to help you achieve your goals and why there is great value to doing things that scare you! 

1. Challenging fear helps us learn courage
   
   When you acknowledge something that scares you and you consciously choose to see it through anyway…you build courage. That’s because courage comes from a deep trust in yourself that you can handle this and come out ok.
   
   With every scary situation that you come out of unscathed, there is more trust that you will also be able to handle the next unknown that comes your way.
2. Fear can show us what we need to work on
   
   Fear is an emotional response to something that makes you feel threatened. When our fear response is triggered, we are given an opportunity to analyze the validity of this threat. Is this really existential or is this something I just need to work on like my pride, a limiting belief, or a trivial insecurity about someone else’s opinion?

Some people have told me that trying their first class at Velocity was extremely scary for them because they were worried about not being able to keep up and embarrassing themselves in front of other people.

This fear of what other people might think held them back from making an experience that in the end, ultimately benefited their health, self-confidence, feelings of accomplishment, and happiness in the long run.

By learning to understand these kinds of triggers, we can learn to harness our fear as a tool for self development rather than as a signal to stop and change direction.

1. Listening to fear empowers us to take calculated risks 

Jumping blindly into a dangerous situation is never recommendable. At the same time, we have to take risks in life in order to challenge ourselves and get ahead. By harnessing our fear in a conscious and constructive way, we can prepare ourselves for success through calculated risk.

A calculated risk is one where you’ve thought through all possible scenarios and you’ve weighed the benefit of the potential reward against the pain of the potential loss. If we plan in advance we can also prepare ourselves for all possible outcomes – including the worst case scenario. 

Knowing that we are prepared can relieve anxiety and empower you to move forward to your goal.

1. Knowing that there is something at risk can be a powerful motivator
   
   If you don’t feel any fear at all, then you’re probably not doing anything to challenge yourself. The most rewarding challenges have something at stake – and that pushes you to work harder and achieve things that you may have never imagined to be possible.
2. Fear can show us what we can’t bear to lose and thereby, what we value most in life.
   
   If you are still feeling hesitation after analyzing your fear from all angles, it is possible that the thing at stake is something that satisfies one of your core needs. Usually, if something doesn’t align with your core needs, then the opportunity isn’t really what you wanted for yourself anyway – perhaps it was someone else’s idea of an adventure or dream job that you were being presented with. It’s ok to say no or walk away if you are sure that something does not align with who you are…this in itself is part of learning and growing too.
   
   Identifying your core needs and life’s priorities is extremely valuable for setting fulfilling goals for yourself and choosing your life’s path. The most important thing is that you never let fear hold you back from chasing an opportunity or achieving the goals that you set for yourself!

Overall, doing little things that scare you on a regular basis are extremely healthy for your self confidence and sense of fulfillment. We highly recommend training this behavior like you would your muscles in workout class! 

If you’ve been debating whether or not you should try out for the Veloburn Academy and fear of any kind has been the reason for your hesitation, we challenge you to face your fear and just apply – We promise that the worst case scenario in this situation would be that you can keep practicing until the next audition!

Send your CV to hello@velocityswitzerland.com to apply today. Time is ticking… auditions are on Saturday 16. May!