Fear Factor

Fear Factor dan skognes leadership development trainer coach consultant motivation blogger speaker

Did you ever watch this show on TV?  Unfortunately, it is no longer on.  I loved it because they would take 4 couples and have them compete against one another in crazy death defying stunts until there was just one couple left, and they got the big cash prize.

I was always amazed at what people will do for money.  They will run through burning buildings, jump off of bridges, lay in a pool of blood sucking leeches, eat the grossest stuff imaginable.  It made me cringe to think about it, but I have to admit, I admired the fact that some of these people overcame incredible fear that the normal person would fold under.

Facing your fears is both terrifying and liberating at the same time.  If you run away and allow fear to control you, you never accomplish what you were intended to do in life.  All of us have a fear of something.  Most people will tell you they have a fear of public speaking.

I was getting ready to get up and speak before a crowd of 3,000 people many years ago.  Just before I got up, the lady next to me whispered, “You are not going to throw up are you?”  Now THAT was NOT what I needed to hear at that time.  Good grief.  When I got up to make my speech, I opened it up with what that lady had said to me.  The audience roared laughing.  I think most of them understood that they would feel the same way if they were in my shoes.  From that day forward, I never really feared getting up and speaking in front of people.  Funny how that works.  It was like the curse was broken.

Principle 1.  Facing your fears will help you break through barriers that may very well not even be real.  You may have heard that FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.

Principle 2.  Fear will cripple you and hold you back in your goals and in your relationships if you allow it to.

Principle 3.  Fear can be broken, but it takes courage to face your fear.

Principle 4.  Some people think that the opposite of fear is faith, but the opposite of fear is love.  There is no fear in love. Love casts out fear.

My hope for you is that you face your fears and break through the barriers (real or imagined) that have been holding you back.  Imagine in your mind what you are the most afraid of.  What is it?  Face it, look it straight in the eyes, destroy it.  Don’t let fear rule your life.  There are all kinds of phobias out there, fear of heights, fear of drowning, fear of public speaking, fear of outliving your money, fear of spiders, snakes, etc., etc.  Whatever it is….face it and destroy it.

When you have taken that one step of courage, you will be surprised at how easy it will be the next time…and the next…and the next.  It is like diving off the high diving board for the 1st time.  It takes some people an eternity to just jump in for the 1st time.  However, once they have done it and see that it was actually FUN, they are up on the board again in a flash.

Here is to seeing you take your first dive off of the high dive.  I will be there cheering you on!

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

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