Inspiration – Look Fear in the Face

Inspiration – Look Fear in the Face

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the USA said “You gain strength, courage and confidence, by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

All of us have felt fear at some point or another during the course of our lives!  I’m also pretty sure that all of us have also found it to be exhilarating on occasion as well as devastating on others.

It all depends on the circumstances as well as the day.

That said, I am sure that Eleanor Roosevelt was not specifically referring to the fear that comes with an extremely dangerous situation, like being chased by an enraged charging rhino or having a gun to your head. To keep your head in those two situations would certainly go a long way to you keeping your life.

In my opinion Eleanor is referring to everyday type of insecurities and fear that keeps us from being able to do the things that we want to do or need to do.  The fear that paralyzes and causes the dreaded procrastination that we all suffer through from time to time.

Ironically, we seem to hold onto that fear and procrastinate for as long as possible and then suddenly make the decision to get on with the task  and what usually happens then, well it does for me anyway, is that I break it down into bite-sized chunks and before I know it, I have completed the task and am left with a sense of “that was relatively easy, what on earth was I so scared of?”

Facing these types of fear, does of course mean that you need to break it down into bite sized chunks and then allocate the necessary time and relevant resources to it.

Facing these types of fear sooner rather than later, means that you will get the job done with a minimum amount of fuss, bother and of course stress.

Facing these types of fear squarely and with determination means that you will be able to get on with doing the things that you love, sooner rather than later.

To borrow the byline of a famous brand “Just Do It!”

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za