Fear comes in all shapes and sizes and is unique in its presentation for each of us.

We have the common physiological responses to fear that we can’t control for, but how we respond psychologically to fear is something we do have a degree of control over. There are those who get a thrill out of fear. There are those who at the slightest hint of fear become incapable of thought or speech. There are those who, while their bodies may respond to fear, have mastered their reaction and appear nonchalant.

I’ve been dealing with my own fear lately. I’ve been processing a lot of it, realizing I’m painting faces on it when all it really is is a fear of success.

I’ve consistently reached the verge of success, only to fall back and do just a step below my total potential. In the past few weeks, this has led me down a path where I felt stagnate, bored, and somewhat depressed. However, I was able to turn my fear into fuel and want to share how I did it with you.

1) My Fear Motivated Me

I don’t like being scared. In fact, I’m one of those who, when scared, will do whatever I can to change to situation so I no longer have anything to fear. I used my fear as a motivator to cross things off of my to do list, brainstorm new things to try, and to continue implementing those things that had been successful, but I had stopped doing because I was scared of their success. I didn’t like being scared, so I recognized my fear as what it was and stopped.

2) My Fear Fueled my Creativity

When backed into a corner (literal and metaphorical), our brains go into overdrive. We try to figure out ways to escape the corner. I found that embracing my fear allows further growth for myself and my business. I came up with more ideas, I started to look around for things to spark better ideas, and I reassessed my old ideas and made changes.

3) My Fear Made Me Talk

As anyone who knows me can well attest, I’m a talker. However, unless I’m in a really glum mood, I rarely discuss things that are truly bothering me. In realizing my fear, and that my fear was associated with success, I began to talk to those around me who I viewed as successful. I’m sure they wanted me to be quiet with my glumness and stop bothering them. By bouncing ideas about my fear off of them, I began to feel better, get a sense of things, and really begin to work my way through the action steps to addressing my fear.

4) My Fear Gave Me a Mantra

Some people pray. Some people chant. Some look in the mirror and say nice things to themselves. Whatever your tool is, combat your fear with it. I’ve been telling myself each morning that my day will be successful, I will accomplish my goals, and that I will handle any bumps in the road with grace and ease. It’s been a rough week, so I might not have had a lot of grace and ease, but it makes me feel better.

What are some of the things you do to combat your fear? What are some of your fears? Tell me in the comments!

The other thing I’m trying to do to combat my fear is the Rich, Happy, and Hot B-School by Laura Roeder and Marie Forleo! Join us through this affiliate link and enjoy a sweet discount!