Does fear hold you back?

Even just saying the word ‘insecure’ makes some people cringe. At some point in life, you most likely will deal with one or more insecurities, the question is what can we do about them? Human behavior studies find that insecurities persisting into adulthood not only cause internal turmoil but also inform our major decisions. Insecurities are held up by fear. According to recent data, common insecurities involving people, body image, or our jobs can be traced to three fears:

1. Fear of Rejection - how you see, value, respect and love yourself is the foundation of well being and also know as self esteem.

2. Social Anxiety - the fear of how others will judge you, that you are not enough and anything you say will be used to mock you permanently.

3. Perfectionism - the fear of falling short of high personal standards that often leads to procrastination and constant comparisons.

If one or more of these apply to you, perhaps utilize one of the following:

• Involve friends- everyone has good and bad days so don’t let it get you down. Have an honest conversation with someone you trust.

• Confront the voice in your head - we tend to get in our own way and often. Next time your inner critic is on a roll, talk back. There is no ‘normal’. Have confidence that your choices are correct for you and talk to yourself like you would a close friend.

• Don’t procrastinate - start early and don’t get behind on tasks. Perfectionism keeps many people from starting a project. Don’t let this be you. Get it out, learn and move on to the next opportunity.

• Effort over outcome - many external factors that are out of your control contribute to an outcome. Focus on controlling the inputs (ie. showing up early, doing the work, no excuses). Do what you can, when you can and don’t worry about the rest.

• Nobody (really) cares - you are not the hero (or villain, or jester) of someone else’s story. People see the world with themselves at the center. What someone says or does has more to do with what’s going on with them than you. You are on the receiving end of their actions perhaps, but you are not responsible for their emotions.

Insecurities, most of us have them. Give these suggestions a go and we would love to hear how your journey goes!

Steph + Bobby

@gantersr | @bobddsmd | @b2teeth