"History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heart-breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats."

Bertie C. Forbes

Our fears, particularly the fear of failure can be a major impediment to going after our goals with full conviction. This fear stops us dead in our tracks and prevents us from even attempting our goals not to talk of accomplishing them. While fear in itself is not necessarily bad as it is an indication that we are stretching ourselves, moving out of our comfort zone to the next level, and taking an active step towards our dreams; it becomes a problem if it is dwelled on too long and not actively dealt with.

Interpreted in the wrong way, these fears create a paralytic effect, hence the reason why many wish to turn their lives around and achieve great things, yet, they seldom ever muster the courage to do it. Learning to let go of this fear is a major step in the journey to becoming successful and accomplishing anything we set our minds to.

Whenever we feel a sense of fear before attempting a goal, we need to reposition how we interpret the feeling. If we interpret the feeling as a signal to give up because "it’s too difficult and it’s not just going to work" then we need to ask ourselves two things: Firstly, do we really want the goal bad enough and more importantly, is the risk we are about to take a calculated one. This is what I mean - attempting any goal takes planning. It requires some sort of strategy. Goals are accomplished by design not accident.

Hence, if you feel a sense of fear before embarking on a goal, this could be partly due to the fact that you have not thoroughly mapped out the details of how you wish to execute your strategy and achieve your goal. Instead of being overcome by fear, rather come up with a strategy that will allow you enough time to prepare yourself to pursue your goal. Ask yourself if your strategy has been properly thought through and if you have covered all the angles.

For instance, fear of going out on one’s own and starting a business is a prevalent one. if you are thinking of starting your own business but are currently employed, instead of being carried away by the emotional high of doing something for yourself and executing your plans prematurely, you might rather want to work a few months longer, during which period you save as much as you can so that you have some financial reserves for those tough months when you are on your own.

While putting reserves aside, you can spend ample time researching all the factors that need to be in place to make your business successful – establishing relationships with suppliers, coming up with marketing strategies, learning as much as you can about the business, researching financing options, seeing what other similar businesses have done to make them successful etc.

This not only makes you better prepared but the financial reserves you have built up also provide some peace of mind and alleviates some of the pressure during uncertain months.

Often, only two things stand between a person and what a person wants out of life - the willingness to try and the faith that the goal can be achieved.

Fear is natural. It is the response to it and the manner in which it is managed that makes all the difference.