Free yourself from fear-driven action

It was former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear makes things worse. We all know it. Yet how do we control it, harness it and use it to benefit of our lives.

We all have fears, but one of the most interesting and prevalent sources of anxiety is the fear of getting old. Gerascophobia is “the fear and dread of getting old.”

But a better thought to dwell on is when do you actually see yourself as “old”?

Interestingly, studies show that we don’t usually see ourselves as “old,” no matter what our chronological age.

We become more aware of time passing when we see an old photo and notice how we’ve changed physically, when we find a new gray hair or when we develop a new ache or pain.

But the process of aging is actually quite subtle, unnoticeable day to day. Most people take comfort in knowing that for the youthfulness we lose, there is a gain — life experience. Along with gray hairs, we gain wisdom.

For life years, we achieve a better knowledge of ourselves. The more aware we are, the more naturally we can embrace the aging process.

No matter how old we are, though, there are fears that can hold us back from living life to its fullest.

Here are a few other common fears:

>> The fear of not knowing enough: “I just don’t know enough. I’m not smart enough. I don’t have the education for it.”

This is illusion because in fact, you have the capacity to do whatever you dream of doing. The key is to trust that the answers will come as you take your first step.

Action catalyzes a world of support, and you’ll see the right situations and circumstances will align for you once you begin to move forward.

>> The fear of failure: We fear failure, yet we face failure and reap its benefits daily.

The combination of all your success and failures at have led you to where you are today.

Babe Ruth held records for the most home runs, but also lead the league in strikeouts five times.

If fear of failure holds you back, remember that no matter what you venture out to do, you’ll gain the wisdom from the experience, no matter the outcome.

>> The fear of losing your loved ones: Many people believe that if they do what they love, they may alienate someone they love.

Fear that the people around them won’t support them holds many people back from pursuits of the heart.

It’s natural to want the love and approval of others, but you should not subordinate your own needs as you internalize their opinions about what you should do with your life.

If you can relate to any of these fears, take some serious time to focus on what’s truly important to you.

Ask yourself if it is time to stop betraying yourself to please others?

Alice Inoue is the founder of Happiness U. Visit yourhappinessu.com.