In my previous post I wrote about attempting to face fears. While typing the word “attempting” I suddenly had a picture of the Yoda quote “there is no try, only do or do not”. At the moment I don’t know if I am doing or not, but I do know I am attempting. In the future we will see if I did or did not face my fears. Back to the point of this post, one of my goals this year to is to face a couple of long standing fears of mine.

My first step in facing these fears is to make it a definitive goal to face them in 2015. I took the approach this year of putting my goals down in black and white. I created a goal document on my computer with some specific goals and target dates to accomplish the goals, including some target dates for steps to meet my goals. In putting my goals down in black and white I am forced to face my goals. Since a couple of my goals are dealing with some fears I am forced to face them.

Now I have to actually take some steps to not only face these fears but also to overcome them. Overcoming a fear does not always mean the fear will go away or cease to be a fear, but overcoming a fear means you were able to get past the fear and accomplish something. Overcoming a fear gives a boost to your courage to face the fear the next time as well. I have to continue to overcome my fear of preaching every Sunday. My fear is more about the importance of what I am doing than the technical aspect of speaking in front of people. It is much easier than it used to be to overcome that fear, but it is still there and I am still nervous every time before I preach.

Putting my goals down in black in white and having some of them addressing my fears is a beginning. But a beginning can be a long way from overcoming. But it is a start and starting is critical. There is an old saying, “A job begun is a job half done”. I am not sure about being halfway to overcoming but I must admit I am encouraged by taking a step in the right direction.

What have you done to address some of your fears? What has worked for you in the past?

Here’s hoping you are taking steps to overcome your fears. You are not alone in this battle, I am in it with you.

Dennis