Overcoming the Fear of Getting Started

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. -- Dale Carnegie

There are a few people who don't work out because of their false beliefs about working out. Some teenagers don't start because they are scared that their growth will be stunted. Some adults don't start because they are scared that it will give them massive injuries. They bring up excuses about people who got injured for life by lifting weights. These initial fears arise because of the feelings of uncertainty in life. The person who is about to start going to the gym and has never been there before is very uncertain about what is going to happen and therefore creates momentary excuses so that they don't have to start. It's all a way of putting it off. A very famous word we are now familiar with to describe this condition is procrastination.

In the same way, people in life who want to become successful, are also misinformed and use these very excuses. They say "Why should I start a new business? Nine of out ten new startups fail all the time, how can I expect to be successful?" These people come up with multiple excuses instead of just getting started. Some people want to write books but never get started because the statistics show a slim chance for new authors making it to the bestseller list.

We have to realize that failures are also exceptions to the rule as much as success is! The people who got seriously injured while exercising in the gym were exercising inappropriately and over-strained themselves. How can you use them as an example of what will happen to you? How can you take someone else's failure in business and apply the conclusion that you will fail because they failed? Does it make any sense? Doesn't it make more sense to learn from other people's failures and then using that knowledge to create the business to make sure it will work out well rather than imagining how you are going to ruin?

You should always remember that the fears that the person holds before going to the gym are as false as the person who fears to start on any venture. The reason that it's false is because it is based on speculation. You haven't done it yet so how would you know? Why would you predict failure for yourself in the gym or in achieving success? Nothing is holding you back but your prejudices on getting started. Eliminate those fears by taking action. Just sitting there and doing nothing about it is not going to get you anywhere faster.

The only advice for you to get you to start something is to JUST GET STARTED. The person who sees that promise about what getting fit and lean will bring them, as well as the person who envisions success for him/herself should get started and then continue with their best efforts. You might fail if you start, but at least you will get somewhere, the chance to succeed is still there. You can always "correct your course" because now you know where you are going and you can get some feedback as to how you are doing.

However you are guaranteed to not get anywhere if you don't start. Your fear that stops you from starting has no truth in reality. Realize this and get going on making your dreams real. It's your duty to your highest self to do this. It is a sin to not live up to your highest potential. Fear is just a test of how badly you want it. Are you willing to pay the price of overcoming the fear? Are you going to take on the challenge of greatness that is facing everyone in this word but which only a few conquer? I dare you to make the most of yourself. Take me up on my offer and see your life dramatically change for the best since that is all you have inside yourself-- the best!

Sukhbir Singh is the founder and seminar leader of LifeApps! Personal Development International.

LifeApps! is currently designing their website and should become active by the end of this year. He has recently written a short motivational E-booklet of 20 pages called Success Lessons from the Gym. You can receive the current draft of this E-book by emailing him at info@lifeapps.com with the subject heading: SL Request.