To conquer change, conquer fear!

FD Roosevelt, on his first Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933 said:

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Unless you face your worst fears and do something about them, change is impossible.

Many times, when I ask clients what do they fear will happen if they change, they look at me as if I’m totally out of my mind. Usually the first answer is something like: “Nothing! I will only benefit from this change!” But when I encourage them to think more about it, all kind of fears surface: “I fear that if I’m more approachable, people will not respect me.” “I fear if I quit smoking I’ll gain too much weight.” “I fear if I become more positive people will laugh at me.” And so on.

Many times our biggest fear is to acknowledge that we have fears!

Having fears is not a problem. In fact, not having any fears in the face of change is probably foolish. But you need to be able to see, understand, and do something about your fears, or they will totally paralyze you.

To be able to make changes, even when you have fears, you need to walk through the 4 A’s: Awareness, Analysis, Alternatives, and Action.

1. Awareness

You have to come to grips with reality. You can not ignore, on the one hand, the problems or challenges you have to face. But on the other hand you can not make them bigger than they are. What you don’t face tends to fester and become more complicated. If you are short on cash, that is not the time to go on an shopping spree! On the other hand, if you are short on cash, but know for sure that a big downpayment on an order is in the mail, you don't have to cancel the raw materials that will help you fulfill the order.

2. Analysis

Is there any basis for the fear? What is the fear trying to tell you? Is there something you need to take care of? For example: Maybe there is a person that is awfully hard to work with no matter what you do. You fear facing that person for anything. Your fear is probably trying to tell you it’s time to take care of the situation.

3. Alternatives

Find more productive ways to deal with what you fear. If you think the fear relates to a lack of communication –say, you are fearful about an impending and unspoken change that might come from corporate—open a dialogue with whoever knows the scoop.

You'll have to initiate the dialogue, and it might feel as comfortable as an emergency visit to the dentist. Nevertheless, the right questions might yield information that allays fears.

4. Action

Only action can help you to “convert retreat into advance.” You need to face your worst fears and still take action. On June 6 1944, Brigadier General Norman Cota was the assistant divisional commander of the United States 29th Infantry Division at Omaha Beach, Normandy.

The landing at Omaha has gone down in history as one of the most difficult and bloody. When the troops were paralyzed by fear and dying in droves at the beach. Facing what seemed like an impossibility to advance, the General shouted: “There are only two kinds of people on this beach: those who are dead and those who are going to die. Now, let’s get the hell out of here!” Under his command, the fearful soldiers started moving forward, and by nightfall the beachhead was secure.

Action, even fearful action, leads to results. The men on Omaha were successful because they started moving forward while they were terrified. Action eventually dislodged fear. When facing change, unless you start taking courageous action to move you forward, you will fail.

Remember. . .

Name your fears, face them, see where they come from, analyze how realistic they are. Then plan what you can do to minimize the fears and take action in spite of the fears.

I have a free booklet for you, which will explain in more detail how to make change easier. You can download it here for free; no email address or details required, just click the link and save your copy to your computer. You are also welcome to share it with your friends and anybody else you think might benefit from it.

Share your thoughts

What are your worst fears about change?

What strategies have helped you conquer your fears in the past?

I would love to know what you think, so please share your thoughts with your fellow readers and myself.

Photo by: kg.creative