Face The Fear

27th February 2014

I know I will have talked about this before on a number of occasions, but fear can be such a limiting factor for so may people. What I mean is, that it is the vision of something horrible or bad happening, as consequence of some action you may have taken, which very often stops people from even giving things a go in the first place.

This came back to me very strongly last week when I was taking my son to look at a few universities, to see which he liked most. As a very keen cricketer (and a good one) he was invited by one of the universities to join their training session. As my son knew this would include a few 1st and 2nd XI county players, he was well aware that he would be stretched to the limit. Naturally enough, my son was nervous, and as we got closer to our destination he became quieter and quieter and developed an interesting shade of whitish grey. He also suddenly started complaining of severe neck ache (apparently sustained due to a sneeze the day before) and I realised he was angling for a way out. However I wasn’t prepared to let him off so easily, and told him once he started he would forget the neck pain. And of course he did. Once people start bowling at you at 80-85mph it tends to focus the mind a little, and I’m delighted to say he weathered it well.

The boy who left that university that evening was a different person. More confident, and so excited about the chance of going there. Had he “bottled out,” he would never have known what he can and can’t do, and might have decided it wasn’t the place for him.

So next time you want to do something different or perhaps take a chance at work with a new idea, give it a go. Remember, always focus on the positive that could come from it, not the negatives. And if you can’t get the confidence yourself, get a coach to help you.

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