Are Your Fears Holding You Back?
Mar 31
Have you ever put off doing something because you’re so scared to do it?
I have.
I want to be able to create my own video guides so that I can post them here on my blog but to do that I have to talk into a microphone and that scares me to death.
I also want to create my own products but people buying products nowadays expect them to come with video tutorials and that means hearing my own voice again so I keep putting it off.
I want to do some interviews with experts on Skype but the thought of doing that makes me feel physically sick, so I don’t do them.
I want to create my own podcast so that I can upload it to iTunes but I keep putting that off too.
I want to attend some meetings so that I can network with like minded people but I can’t because I’m scared.
Can you see a pattern happening here?
I’m letting my fears get the better of me and its stopping me from achieving my goals.
Sally Neill recently told me that the things you fear the most are the things you most need to do.
And she is so right.
So I’ve decided that I’m going to stop procrastinating and face my fears head on so that I can overcome them and achieve what I want to achieve.
To help me to stay on track I’ve made myself accountable on my favourite forum and also with this post here on my blog so I will let you know how I get on.
So do you have a fear that is holding you back?
What are you doing to face up to your fears?
Let me know by leaving a comment below and maybe we can face our fears together.
Warm Regards
Dawn Kay
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Twitter: SmithTeacher
/ April 1, 2011
I think that as you get older (let’s say over 70) fears start to diminish. You are able to see your weaknesses clearer. That doesn’t mean you are less driven to accomplish. It must means that you are more realistic and are able to look at fears and say, “So what!”
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 9:08 am
Hi Carol
My mother in law is always telling me that when I’m older I won’t care what people think and I’ll just get on with it, so you are probably right.
I’ll use your so what as a start…
So what if my first video is rubbish and I make mistakes I’ll just keep doing it until it’s better.
So what if I start having a panic attack when I go to my first meet up I’ll just head to the bar first and have a few drinks to calm my nerves.
Cool…
Thanks for stopping by and let me know how you’re getting on with your new site.
Take care
Dawn
[Reply]
Twitter: kathydobson
/ April 1, 2011
Hi Dawn,
You are one brave soul. Just to admit all these fears to others takes courage…so already you are confronting your fears.
I too had major fears of making videos…because I sounded weird when I heard my voice. But I stayed with it and eventually became comfortable and realize it was only me.
Facing your fears and overcoming them is where power comes from.
You would be so good at this stuff because you are knowledgeable.
We’ll get on Skype soon and you can practice interviewing.
You journey to overcoming has officially begun
Kathy
Kathy Dobson recently posted..Fourerr and Gigs for Gurus
[Reply]
Hi Kathy
It’s nice to see you back online again and I hope your mum is on the mend.
You confronting your fears made me want to confront mine so you inspired me to take action as I saw first hand by watching your videos what could be done when you really put your mind to it and face what your scared of.
We’ll definitely have to get together soon on Skype, you’ve got my Skype details so let me know when your free and we’ll have a chat.
Take care
Dawn
[Reply]
Hi Dawn!
Facing your fears by writing this on the internet for the whole world to see is pretty bold!
I used to be afraid of a lot of social and internet marketing things, but I just pulled up my big girl panties and realized my fears had to go!!
You know how I got over that? I asked myself “Lisa, what is the absolute worst thing that can happen?”
Someone laughs at me? So, wouldn’t be the first time. Someone unsubscribes to my list? Oh well….
Think about it, girlfriend….if you make some videos, what is the worst thing that could happen? Someone won’t like it? So. There are a gazillion people on the internet who will!
Your voice will sound funny? To who? You know you sound different to us than you do in your own head. Maybe we will love your voice and you will become a BIG HIT!!
So Girl, I am here for ya and if you want to Skype or anything or if there is anything I can do to help, let me know!
I’ll be honest with ya. I was afraid to talk to John Thornhill on the phone. I thought I would stutter and spit and act a fool. So I called him and my heart was pounding and I thought I was gonna pass out!
You know what??? Now, I can talk to him any time, any day. Cause I pulled up those panties and acted like a big girl and got over it!!
So, good luck and holler if you need anything!
Lisa~
P.S. Don’t tell anyone I was discussing my grandma panties on the internet, k?? hahaha!!
Lisa recently posted..Free Real Estate And A Cool Free Tool
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Hi Lisa
I won’t tell anyone you wear grandma panties if you don’t (lol).
You crack me up you do.
OMG how the heck did you manage to build up the courage to talk to John Thornhill on the phone?
You are so braver than me girl.
I know you are right and I should take the who cares attitude but the problem is I do.
So I need to try and stop caring I think and see if that helps (lol).
Thanks for the offer of help I just may take you up on that one.
Take care
Dawn
[Reply]
Hi Dawn,
I think my current fear is turning on my pc….lol
Every time I do there seems to be more work to be done!
Seriously – being accountable helps in a big way as it feels as though there are others relying on you as well…. And that can help push you into just getting things done!
There are many days when I would love to say stuff it, and just watch a movie – then I remember I have paying customers waiting for a post or some advice – and that pushes me into getting the task done.
Especially on the techy stuff – where I live in fear of breaking a whole site!
So far though – they are all
F alse
E vidence
A ppearing
R eal
And I’ve not broken anything yet… so I can finally tackle some of the updates I want to add and provide better value for my members!
Definitely a good thing to face ones fears…
As for worrying about it… I have another one for those
W aste
O f
R esources
R arely
I f
E ver
S anctioned
Hope they help
Randy
RandySmith recently posted..Ethical Page- Catch Up And Something Different Today!
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 2nd, 2011 at 8:55 am
Hi Randy
You are so right and by admitting my fears and holding myself accountable I feel like I’ve lifted a huge weight off my shoulders already.
Now all I’ve got to do is actually achieve them (lol).
If it wasn’t for the members of your IMA forum for inspiring me to do it in the first place and supporting me while I do I probably would be still procrastinating over it.
Thanks for popping by and see you in the forum.
Dawn
[Reply]
Twitter: deeannrice
/ April 1, 2011
Dawn
I know what you mean about fears. I think that I let my fears hold me back as well. It took me 4 days to write my fist post on my new blog and I have written blog posts before.
My solutions was just to set a day to start and then start doing what I needed to do to get ahead. I felt like my head was spinning but I am moving forward and having fun along the way.
It is nice to know there are others out there that feel the same way.
Dee Ann
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 2nd, 2011 at 9:04 am
Hi Dee
I think your plan is the right way to go. Decide what you want to achieve and then work out the steps you need to take and then just do them.
Your blog looks good and I like your writing style so just keep doing what you are doing and you will go along way.
See you on your blog soon.
Dawn
[Reply]
Hi Dawn,
Hmmmmmmmmm. Facing fears! That is a good one!
I am in a catch 22 here.
I don’t have the fears as such and to tell you the truth after the industry I was in in my early adult life (I was a pole cat!
)I am not too worried about what people think.
If people are true, they will respect and honour you and encourage you to improve and grow.
My problem is the dreaded PROCRASTINATION! I am a slave to it. I will put things off and find other things to do.
I am like this in all areas of my life. I even put off having my bubba! hahahaha I am a late mumma!
Procrastination can hold us back. But not any more!
Everyday face a fear or do something you have been putting off for ages.
The sooner knock out Mr Fear and Mr Procrastination, the closer we are to our dreams!
Hope all is going well.
See you back here soon!
Cheers
Jacinta
Jacinta D recently posted..Help Me Help You!
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 5th, 2011 at 9:17 am
Hi Jacinta
Now I can see why you’re not the shy type (lol).
At least you admit you’ve got a problem with procrastination so you can put it right. It’s when we can’t see the problem or we choose to ignore it that it get’s out of hand.
Have you tried getting an accountability partner or opening up an accountability post on the forums you use so it kicks you up the bum to take action?
It’s helped me so why not give it a go.
Hope Bubba is okay now
Dawn
[Reply]
Twitter: learn_to_blog
/ April 4, 2011
Hi Kay, very good post. We all have fears that hold us back sometimes. It’s a constant challenge for some people to let go of those fears. Good for you for pressing on with video. They will be fine, I’m sure.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
mandy recently posted..Are You Alexa Ranked
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 5th, 2011 at 9:23 am
Hi Mandy
I feel a lot better now I’ve admitted them and it’s made me want to face up to them more so yeah I’ve started to let go a bit.
Thank’s for popping by and I’ll see you in June if you’re still going to Randy’s meet up.
Dawn
[Reply]
Hi Dawn
You have taken the first brave step by admitting your fears, so well done. Confront them one at a time and remember that an opinion is only as good as the person who gives it. I hate having my photo taken and wouldn’t have any of them made public. Craig wanted one for IMA so had to give in and now I have one on my website and one on facebook. As a newbie, I am afraid of failure. As Carol says, so what? I can try again.I am not quite as old as Carol, but getting there, you have time on your side so enjoy.
Dee
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 5th, 2011 at 9:06 am
Hi Dee
I was scared of failure when I started out, don’t worry about it it’s natural. You’re doing great and now you’ve got Randy and Craig to guide you they will put you on the right road to success.
I no what you mean about having your photo done I hate it and always seem to have my eyes closed or look drunk when I’m not (lol).
Don’t forget to get the Gravatar plugin so that your photo is displayed next to your comment. It’s a good way to get your face known so people can see who’s behind the name.
Go on I dare you (lol).
Catch you on the IMA forum
Dawn
[Reply]
Hi Dawn,
If you don’t face your fears the result will be you won’t get anywhere all you’re going to do is stand still.
I like what Sally Neil said. How true it is. She sure is somtin else.
It’s better to try and fail than to no try at all. Doing nothing is a tragedy. Doing something is a start and also a learning process.
We are all like this at times. We are human and all have fears.
I believe the key is to take the first when you are ready and conquer them.
It’s like diving in a pool that has cold water. At first you hesitate, then once you jump in shortly after, its not so bad.
Terry Conti
Terry Conti recently posted..Free Traffic using Twitter
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 5th, 2011 at 8:45 am
Hi Terry
Yep the main thing is getting started and having a go and if doesn’t work out you learn from all your mistakes and try again.
I’m working on my first fear now creating videos so I’ll keep you updated on how it’s going.
It’s good to see you over here again and I’ll pop over and see you on your blog when I’ve got a minute.
Dawn
[Reply]
Twitter: sallyneill
/ April 5, 2011
Hey Dawn aka the fear fighter ha ha.
I used to be very scared to do anything at all, but Alex made me face my fears and that’s why I like to tell others to do it too, just returning the favor of someone pushing me to do it.
I dont have many fears left to be honest, but what I do find is that once you get rid of the main ones new ones keep appearing ha ha, bring it on!!!
But good on ya for facing the fears, I believe in you 100% and I know you will kick a$$.
And congrats on a nice personal post, I am a big fan of people being real online, so I loved that you did it.
Sally
ps. there is nowt wrong with your voice, I have heard it many times now and it’s fine and dandy and easy to understand.
Sally recently posted..OMG I’m ENJOYING Email Marketing Again Faint
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Hi Sally
Your one liners are brilliant and I hope the fear factor is going in your swipe file (lol).
Thank’s for giving me the kick up the bum I needed to face my fears. I know you’re right and I will face them all you wait and see.
I’m sure it won’t be long until you’ve conquered that last fear of yours and I’ll keep on at you until you do.
You’re half way to facing it already so you’ve got a head start.
I’ve been enjoying talking with you on Skype so let me know when you’re not so busy and we’ll have another knatter.
Take care
Dawn
[Reply]
Twitter: zahidyk
/ April 11, 2011
Hi Dawn
Hope you are well.
Great post.
I think at some point everybody goes through the same feelings you have and fear of doing.
Procrastinating is a biggie, what I do is jump straight in and Do It!!!
Deal with the things that I want to do least first, leading up to the I like stuff…so it gives you an incentive to get things done and dusted lols
Cheers
Zahid
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 12th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Hi Zahid
I should do what you do and deal with the things I want to do the least.
Only problem with that is I could twist it round a bit and say to myself I didn’t like it the least when really it was the stuff I liked (lol).
Hope everything is going well with you and I’ll pop over and see you on your blog soon.
Regards
Dawn
[Reply]
Hi Dawn,
Last week I was have a little email conversation about traffic. And guest posting came up. Now don’t get me wrong I have guest posted before and find it quite easy to do, but when you’re recommended to go for a guest post spot on Problogger, that’s when it gets scary!
Writing a post for one of the biggest blogs in the world makes me nervous. I have questions like:
1. will it be published? (obviously the first)
2. will it be good enough?
3. how can or will I take the rejection?
The truth is I will never know until I do it. It’s time to get out of my comfort zone and move forward!
Daniel
Daniel Sumner recently posted..Are Two Heads Better Than One
[Reply]
Hi Daniel
Wow! A guest post opportunity on Problogger now that is a big accomplishment so well done you.
You’ll be fine as you have got a good writing style and have the knack of making everything sound easy to do.
1. Of course it will be published…
2. It’s going to be fantastic you wait and see…
3. Don’t need to think about rejection because it aint going to happen.
Remember the saying…
Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you will start having positive results.
Good luck with it
Dawn
[Reply]
Twitter: Kerry_L_Russell
/ April 14, 2011
Hey Dawn,
I once heard a similar thing off Lee McIntyre.
“You will never achieve your goals unless you step out of your comfort zone”
I recently stepped out of my comfort zone and he was so right. I wanted to host my own giveaway event and just like i was so so scared.
what if i messed up? What if something went wrong with the script? and what if people just didn’t like me?
Just like you i was full of doubt but despite this i decided “what the hell”
What the worse thing that could possibly happen? So i went ahead, stepped out of my comfort zone and the results are pleasantly surprising. The launch was a BIG success and i made a profit too.
Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and you will succeed. Just tackle one task at a time
Kerry
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 15th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Hi Kerry
Wow, that was a big stepping out of your comfort zone so well done you for taking such a big step and going for it.
Just shows what you can achieve when you want it badly enough and I’m definitely not going to let fear get in my way when I want to do something.
Good luck with your giveaway event I’m sure it will be a huge success and maybe I can get a gift sorted to take part in your next one.
Thank’s for stopping by
Dawn
[Reply]
Dawn, this is a great article. I feel like I’m the biggest procrastinator and constantly tell myself each year that “This is my New Year’s Resolution”. One thing that I’ve noticed that is that life is too short to not take advantages of what is in front of us. After finally putting my NYR into effect, it’s completely changed my life. From saying things that I’ve held back, to taking trips that I’ve always wanted to do. Money isn’t easy for me, but if you really want something, I believe anything is possible to make it happen.
Thanks again!
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Hi Renee
Life is too short to worry that’s for sure so I’m not going to worry any more and I’m going to do the things I want to do.
Thanks for popping by
Dawn
[Reply]
Twitter: zahidyk
/ April 20, 2011
Hey Dawn
Its great to see you are ticking things off your list of fears…like going to Randys meet in June
I have a little thing that I do… I always do the thing I least want to do FIRST!!!
That way everything else gets easier or more pleasent to do and you always finish doing what you like most
lols it works for me as I just want to get to the good stuff and get those other things doen super quick.
Cheers
Zahid
Zahid recently posted..How can you make money out of beer on the Internet
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Hi Zahid
I think I’ve read that one somewhere before were you take the biggest task you don’t want to do and do it first.
If you can do that then you can do anything right (lol).
Yep, hopefully I can cross that fear off in June so I’ll take lots of pictures while I’m there to prove I’ve done it (lol).
Hopefully I’ll see you there.
Take care
Dawn Kay
[Reply]
Hey Dawn,
Thanks for getting back to me! Yes- like Nike said “Just do it” right? I was listening to the radio this morning and the guy says “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you feel about it”. Definitely something to say to ourselves each day
Renee recently posted..How to Start a Budget
[Reply]
Hi Renee
I love that saying If you don’t like something change it and it’s so true you can just change what you don’t like.
Thanks for stopping by
Dawn
[Reply]
Self Criticism and Perfectionism
I readily preach to my 3 little girls that “there’s no such thing as perfect so just try your best”, and. “Don’t beat yourelf up if it’s not quite right, the world won’t end”, I don’t listen to my own preaching.
Unfortunately I have a very critical partner, both to me and the children, you know – Quick to criticise, slow to compliment.
I now work in the shadows of night, from dusk till dawn, so I can keep myself motivated.
Maybe I’m a Vampire – or Bat?
Still here though. I will prove myself right ultimatel.
Cheers, no, really!
Alan
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 9:13 am
Hi Alan
Your right, theres no such thing as perfect so I shouldn’t let it bother me I know.
It’s hard when you’ve got a partner that doesn’t understand, but don’t let that get in your way and stop you.
Turn it around and show them…
Even if you have to turn into a bat to do it (lol).
Dawn
[Reply]
Twitter: ricoramiro
/ May 9, 2011
When I first started blogging and writing articles I was afraid that no one would want to read my stuff or that I couldn’t attract a readership because I’m not a professional writer.
But I did it anyway. I stepped into my fear. And I now have a readership and people actually comment on my posts.
Ramiro Rodriguez recently posted..How To Use PLR Content For Internet Marketing
[Reply]
Dawn Kay Reply:
May 12th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Hi Ramiro
I think we all think that nobody is going to want to read our articles so it’s a good feeling when people actually do.
Thank’s for popping by
Dawn
[Reply]
Hey Dawn,
Don’t worry about it, everyone’s afraid to talk into a microphone their first time. What made me do it was the fact that at that time i was broke and this way i had the opportunity to make a large sum of money fast.
So i had it easy, i had bills to pay.
My point is, all you need is one or two recording to get used to hearing your voice. Everything’s easy after that.
All the best,
Martin
Martin recently posted..Hazmat Practice Test
[Reply]
Fear is a natural reaction that protects us from possible dangerous situations. But it’s an instinctive reaction, and we’re not animals to be scared of fire. We need to think and take the right decision, not let fear get the best of us.
Those of us that can do this will get far in life.
Lynn Sanders recently posted..Medical Assistant Training Courses
[Reply]
Twitter: barry_wells
/ January 3, 2012
Hey Dawn, I don’t beleive i missed this post the first time around “sorry about that”.
This is so fitting for the 7 link challenge. You’ve come a long way since writing this post and that wasn’t to long ago either mate
You’re a shining example of how people can progress once they face their fears and just do it.
I bet you look back now and wonder why you didn’t just do it ages ago.
Fair play my friend, you’re a star
Isn’t Sally a real motivator, she’s helped so many online
Respect and regards,
Barry
Barry Wells recently posted..Another Fear Conquered Thanks To Sally Neill and My Latest Online Win
[Reply]