Define your fears

Recently I read Tim Ferris’ article on Defining your fears. He says we should define our fears rather than defining our goals. He suggests doing this exercise known as ‘Fear setting’.

You ask yourself questions like ‘What is the worst that could happen if you considered doing what you have to?” What doubt, fears, and “what-ifs” pop up as you consider the big changes you can—or need—to make? Would it be the end of your life? How likely do you think it is that they would actually happen? How could you get things back under control, Now that you’ve defined the nightmare, what are the more probable or definite positive outcomes, whether internal (confidence, self-esteem, etc.) or external? Have less intelligent people done this before and pulled it off? What is it costing you—financially, emotionally, and physically—to postpone action?

It turns out I was already imagining the worst. It escalated into overthinking, which led to inaction. It happens all the time. 90% of the time, I'm terrified. But what I'm working on these days is figuring out the cost of my inactions. What impact would they have on me and those around me? Even now, my first instinct is to predict a negative outcome, but I also try to consider potential positive outcomes. I've discovered that writing things down helps to clear the clutter in my mind. Our brain does not think in a logical manner. It's abstract, and the abstractness adds to the fear. When you are afraid of the unknown, your first instinct is to avoid it at all costs. When you define a nightmare, you can brainstorm solutions to it. You can gain control by writing about it.

I believe this is also one of the remedies for procrastination. Determine what is preventing you from postponing a project. Finding a solution to it is the simplest task once you've identified it. Execution is difficult, but the optimism that follows after a certain level of clarity motivates you even more. Only when you understand the problem can you effect change. Understanding occurs when you arrive at the truth.

If you are struggling to take action in life, define your fears and change your life for the better.

Here’s the link to Tim Feriss’ Ted Talk.