If you’ve ever dealt with unfamiliar situations, you know it’s common to experience a range of emotions. Often, we let fear stop us from seeing a challenge to its resolution. But the fear of the unknown is way more than the primary fear emotion.
Fearing the unknown sends your brain high alert because it lacks the information it needs to feel in control. Thus, a fear of the unknown is best defined as the tendency to be afraid of something you have little to no information about. Some fears of the unknown are related to getting ill or dying, going to new places, and feeling anxious about the future.
When you allow fear to take control, it hinders your ability to make choices and decisions that get you the results you want in life. Your fear prevents you from taking risks, which blocks you from progressing to the next chapter of life.
YOUR FEAR ARE STEALING THE FREEDOM YOU WANT IN LIFE!
If you’re like me, there’s something seductive about living a more gratifying life. It makes you feel empowered and gives you the confidence to take on life challenges. But to live life on your terms, you must learn to manage your fear of the unknown. So, how can fear of the unknown hold you back from making your dreams a reality?
Why does a fear of the unknown keep you stuck in life?
Your fear of the unknown is driven by your need to control your current and future situations. As Gen Xers, we like to be in control of our lives at all times. But the path to living the life you’ve always wanted requires risk-taking.
How you think about the unknown has a massive impact on your progress towards achieving your goals. And the hard truth is that you can’t protect yourself from all of the bumps and bruises you’ll get as you go along your journey. But you can take small actions that get BIG results.
Fearing the unknown makes you avoid taking on big challenges—another way a fear keeps you stuck in life. Over time, your fear of the unknown seeps into other areas of your life, like the fear of rejection, fear of failure, or the fear of missing out (FOMO). These fear-based mindsets arise because the Gen X brain hates uncertainty.
Have you ever been in a situation where you avoided pursuing a professional opportunity because you felt you were underqualified? In these cases, your fear of rejection could cause you to miss out on the chance to improve your skills and grow your career.
If you don’t throw your hat in the ring, you’ll never know if the position was right for you because you allowed your fear to block the experience. Rather than being paralyzed by fear and missing out completely, take a risk. The worst thing that could happen is that you don’t get the job—there’s nothing to lose.
A technique for managing your fear of the unknown
Now that you understand how a fear of the unknown works, it’s time to do something about it. Us my TAME YOUR BRAIN 🧠technique to manage your fear of the unknown to stay calm and live your best life. Here’s how it works.
Step 1: Avoid avoidance. Address your fears by thinking about the positive outcomes that result from taking risks. Ask yourself questions like:
*What evidence do I have that I will fail?
*When have my past fears proved to be true?
*How have I successfully dealt with uncertainty in the past?
Answering these questions will help you identify what’s really freaking you out.
Step 2: Plan for failure. How would it feel to include failure in your success plan? Building failure points into your plan prepares your brain to rebound. If you ground your brain like this, you’ll total devastation when you fall short of reaching your goals.
This approach also allows you to prepare a backup plan to rectify your mistakes. Failure is a prerequisite for success. Preparing for failure in advance saves valuable time and mental energy.
Step 3: Welcome change. Change is the one thing you can count on in life. Consider how you want to grow as a result of achieving your goals. View change as the fee you pay to live your dream life.
As you begin exercising your change muscles, you’ll notice that your fears start to disappear. This gradual mindset shift helps you create a spirit of resilience and confidence that supports your success.
The bottom line
The takeaway here is that your fear of the unknown is powered by your need to control life. And deep down, you know that life comes with all kinds of curveballs. Try using my technique to combat your fears head-on so you can live the life you’ve always desired.
If you want to learn how your fear of the unknown is blocking your path to living your dreams, download my FREE worksheet—The Show Up Report. I created this resource to help people like you take their first step to living the life they’ve always wanted.
Once you understand your unique patterns, you’ll be ready to create a plan for achieving your life’s most ambitious dreams. Click HERE to take the first step to live a more gratifying life.
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