Why don't we do the difficult things we
know we should, such as asking for a
raise, changing careers, or expressing
our true feelings? The reason is simple.
Doing something different represents
a departure from the familiar — a journey
into the unknown. And when you do
something new, it may turn out to be the
wrong choice. What really holds us back,
then, is fear of failure.
You can minimize the impact fear of
failure has upon your future by understanding
more about the emotion of fear
and why it is so prevalent.
Fear is an emotion essential for our
survival. It has been argued that those of
our ancestors who were most fearful and
played it safe were far more likely to survive.
The thrill seekers may have been
rewarded handsomely for their successes
but met with fatal consequences
when they failed.
Therefore, since people who
were more fearful survived,
more of their "fearful" genes
are floating around.
From a biological standpoint
it made perfect sense
not to venture into hostile
environments unless you
knew for certain what you
might be up against. After all,
playing it safe meant living
longer. But in today's rapidly
changing world, the same
response that had a clear
advantage during the Stone
Age can now keep you and
your organization stuck in
that same familiar rut.
However, it doesn't have to be that
way. You just need to understand how
the brain responds to the emotion of fear
to turn an emotional enemy into an ally.
Fear is the emotion of the future. You fear
only those things that have not happened
because you are uncertain of the
outcome. The two things your mind
craves — the ability to predict and maintaining
control — are gone. The more
helpless you feel, the less you can be
certain of the outcome, and gradually the
fear builds. Threat detectors rule in the
brain and for good reason: Failing to
respond to danger could be fatal.
Given a choice, we allow fear to keep
us rooted in what is familiar. The more
familiar something is, the better you can
predict what will happen next. The better
you can predict, the less fear you will
have. Therefore, it's fear that keeps us
from adapting to change.
When you are under minimal pressure,
it is easy to contemplate all the options
and carefully formulate a plan. However,
being able to plan thoroughly in advance
is a rare luxury today. When things are
going well, we have ample time to ponder
the options, seek guidance, and
experiment with different approaches.
Under pressure, you enter fight-or-flight
mode as part of your brain mobilizes you
for survival. You see things in black and
white to simplify the options, and you feel
the need to do something (anything),
and, as a result, you begin to act instinctively
— responding immediately to simple
and incomplete cues. Without information,
your ability to predict is impaired,
which in turn becomes the catalyst for
more fear. Now, the craving to return to
the familiar is even greater, thereby eliminating
the instincts for curiosity and risk,
which are the essential ingredients for
success in adapting to change.
Whether you need to change or
whether you need to motivate others in
your organization to change, there are
some simple lessons to be learned from
the human mind. First, recognize that the
brain is conservative and will cling to the
familiar and predictable. But, progress
toward a worthwhile goal is also something
the mind strives toward but in a
gradual evolutionary progression rather
than through quantum leaps.
So, while you may not be able
to change events, you can
change your perception of
them. Make change feel more
gradual. Connect the novel part
of a new initiative to something
familiar. Reframe the idea so
that the new approach is
viewed as a natural progression
rather than an abrupt change. In
this way, there will be a common
thread linking what you do
to both the past and future.
Your steps will become a logical
progression founded on the
familiar past as you make
progress toward your future
goals.
Tips to Survive Fear
- Fear is the emotion of the unknown future. Therefore, reframe anything new to be a natural progression from something familiar rather than an abrupt change to something totally new.
- You don't respond to the world — you respond to your perception of the world. Therefore, while you may not be able to change certain events, focus on changing your perspective of them.
Learn more about Nick Hall and his audio program Change Your Beliefs, Change Your Life.