How To Overcome Fears and Increase Confidence _ Peacefulmindbody

 

We all have fears, fear of uncertainty, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of pain, and fear of not being loved by others. Most of these fears are mind-made illusions, they are not real but have the power to keep you stuck, holding you back from living the life you desire. They keep you from growing and fulfilling your dreams. They can shake your self-confidence by giving room to self-doubt. By listening to your inner critic non-stop chatter you increase your anxiety and get trapped in a worrying habit. The more you dwell on the negative messages from your mind the more you start believing them, which in turn makes you more fearful, and incapable of taking action. your fears are telling you stories and within no time you find yourself doubting your talents and capabilities, you feel paralyzed and stuck.


To break this detrimental cycle of unwanted thoughts, you need to take a step forward, realizing that you don't need to believe each of your thoughts, it might feel uncomfortable to confront your fears but discomfort gives birth to personal growth.

To escape fear, you have to go through it,
 not around.
                                           .....Richie Norton

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE:

You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you can't have both.
                                                                                              ....Brene Brown

I know it seems scary to face something that you are trying so hard to avoid, you procrastinate things, you give yourself excuses, and you have multiple reasons for not moving forward and pursuing your goals. As soon as you try to step out of your comfort zone, a wall of insecurities and vulnerabilities blocks your path, you start doubting your talents and abilities, and you second-guess your strengths. Now let's face the truth, if you believe your mind's negative self-fulfilling prophecy, if you step back and resist the discomfort of uncertainty, you will not be able to live your desired life, no one else can push you out of your comfort zone, only you have the power to nip your fears in the bud as soon as they start surfacing. It is natural to feel vulnerable and fearful when you are going to try something new but never let that fear hinder your journey as courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to proceed despite fear.

To increase self-confidence and overcome fears you need to be persistent, it's a lifelong journey, you can't become confident overnight, so set little goals, and do one thing every day that scares you, these small steps add up to build your confidence. After overcoming your fears you feel a sudden boost in your confidence.

The way to develop self-confidence is to do
 the thing you fear.
                                                                       ....William Jennings Bryan

TAKE FAILURE AS A STEPPING STONE TOWARD SUCCESS:

If you are one among those who tend to take failures to heart, if you fear committing mistakes, if you can't stop your inner critic whenever you lose, then I feel compelled to tell you that this attitude of yours is the biggest reason you feel stuck.

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.
                                                                                                ....Peter T. Mcintyre

Failure does not show your inadequacy, inaction does. If you are putting in your efforts, doing your best, and even then don't get the expected outcome, there is nothing to fix, you can always learn from your experience, make necessary changes, and do differently next time. But if you are not trying something out of fear of failure then it is something that needs to be fixed, ask yourself a few questions, why are you so harsh on yourself? Why are you finding it difficult to accept your mistakes? Why are you not accepting yourself as human, and it's natural for humans to fail before getting successful? Failures are nothing more than feedback about your performance, they are the stepping stone towards success. Next time when you encounter failure, accept it as a necessary step towards your destination so you may get comfortable with failure, don't feel discouraged.
Don't let your fear of failure stop you from growing. Keep going, and continue your journey despite all the setbacks and failures, they are there to teach you something.

BE A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF:

If you are constantly comparing yourself to others, you are going to fall into a trap of self-pity, you can't be your best in everything you do, some people are doing better than you and of course, many are not doing as good as you are. The moment you start comparing yourself to others is the moment you lose confidence in yourself. By comparing your achievements with others you are building up unnecessary pressure upon yourself, you will think low of yourself, and underestimate your capabilities so if you want to move forward just try to be a better version of yourself, don't do anything to be better than others but to be better than your previous self.
Strength doesn't come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't.

PURSUE YOUR PASSION:

There must be something you are passionate about or if you are not sure just notice what makes you happy and satisfied, find a hobby, or get creative. By following your passion you are showing the world your unique side, you are born to stand out don't try to blend in. Listen to your heart, make your pathway, and let yourself shine with your inborn talents. You will thank your future self for allowing yourself to take action towards your desired life. In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take. Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity, don't expect validation from others, and do what you feel is right for you.

Thinking will not overcome fear but action will
                                                                                                  ...M. Clement Stone

RECALL PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

It's easy to get in turmoil when life gets rough when you are about to give up, have a look at your past achievements, how you faced the challenges, how you got fruitful results from your struggles, what you have learned from your experiences which helped you to be a better person you are today.
You did your best in the past, managed to overcome your fears and you can do it now also, you need a little bit of self-reassurance. Keep a reality check, how many times you failed when you were anticipating failure. What's the worst that could happen? How did you handle the worst-case scenario in the past? Be prepared for the worst but hope for the best.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK OF YOU:

It's not necessary to know what others think of you but what you think of yourself, don't worry about the judgment of others, and don't judge yourself either, never stop taking action because of the fear of what might people say. Inaction gives rise to fears and doubts, action will boost your confidence. If you know who you are, what you are doing, and why you are doing then criticism and judgment from outside don't matter much. You don't need the approval of others in everything you do.
There is a possibility that people may not be judging you as much as you are expecting them, they are surrounded by their life issues, mostly it is us who are judging ourselves and then projecting it onto others.

You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.
                                                                                      ...Eleanor Roosevelt

MAKE A LIST OF FIVE THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT YOURSELF:

Take some time and make a list of five things you appreciate about yourself, you will be surprised to find out there is a lot to be grateful for. We often fail to focus on what we possess because we are too busy trying to get what we lack. We struggle to get what others are enjoying negating the fact that we already have things to love and enjoy in our life. It's easy to get distracted by the achievements of others and it's hard to acknowledge our qualities when we are so much obsessed by the things which we are lacking. Take a break from your busy life, get out of your ungrateful mind, and revisit your true self with a positive mindset then and only then you will be able to show gratitude for the blessings you have. You feel you have something to offer to the world. This is a sure way to boost your confidence instantly, you will not only feel confident but act confident also.


Don't let your fears of what could happen make nothing happen. It's okay to be scared but don't let this fear stop you from living your life to the fullest, being afraid means you are about to do something courageous. Now what's your strategy to overcome fears? How will you make these tips part of your life? Start working today on your fears and live your life without regrets.

  Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.
                                                    ....Mark Twain

All the best!







  

Seven Secrets of a Happy Life _ Peacefulmindbody

Happiness is something we all desire, we try to do whatever we can to become happy but still why it seems so hard to attain happiness? The reason behind our unhappy state is that we are looking for happiness in the wrong places, we think that we will be happier when we own a big house, get a highly-paid job, go on a long vacation, have a fulfilling relationship, etc, these all things do matter to increase joy in life to some extent but they can't give you everlasting happiness.



They can uplift your mood temporarily but for a long-term, deep, happy, and peaceful state you can't rely on external conditions, you have to look inside of you to gain true happiness.
Happiness is something that is embedded inside you, it depends on your way of thinking, how you respond to life circumstances, and how you embrace life as it is rather than get caught up in the trap of could have or should have.


Do you ever wonder why some people seem so happy and peaceful regardless of what they are going through in life? It seems happiness is so natural to them, that they don't even have to struggle for it. The truth is you don't have to struggle to be happy too. When you stop seeking it you will get it naturally. Certain traits are common among happy people.

THEY TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY OF THEIR LIFE:

They take full responsibility for their life and don't blame others for their feelings and setbacks in life. They know they are responsible for their response to life events and they have the power to choose a happy life for themselves, only they can make choices to move forward in life, they have to take a step, they know who they are and what is better for them. They embrace their failures and weaknesses and acknowledge that mistakes are part of a journey to success. They have a deeper sense of what they want in life and how to get that. They are not afraid of making decisions for their life.


They realize that they can't make the right choices every time and they try to learn from their experiences.
They own their feelings, they don't try to disregard their emotions. They understand that feeling all emotions, whether negative or positive, is a part of common human experience so they don't try to suppress them nor do they over-indulge in them rather they allow themselves to feel what they are feeling at the given moment.

THEY DON'T COMPLAIN:

Complaining makes you focus on things that you don't have rather than what you have. It can steal your peace of mind and decrease your happiness level. By complaining you feel disempowered and helpless, you want a desired change but you feel incapable of doing that, you feel others are obliged to do things for you.


Happy people know well that complaining is not the solution to their problems. They act proactively and take the necessary steps to work towards things that need to be done. They don't wait for others to do things for them. They don't complain about things that are beyond their control. They respect their limits and capacity, they accept that they can't control every aspect of their life.

THEY ARE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT THEY HAVE:

They show gratitude for every blessing they have. By being thankful they train their mind to focus on positive things in life which boosts their happiness level. They count their blessings and don't miss an opportunity to make the most of their inborn talents.


Each one of us is born with certain gifts, innate capabilities, and unique qualities to offer to the world. Happy people figure out their deep passion and talent and utilize efforts in the right direction. They are grateful for what they are giving to the world. They consider their uniqueness and individuality valuable. They know they are playing their part by serving the world with their exclusive talents and abilities. They don't degrade or devalue their contribution. They excel in their field as they are exactly doing what they are capable of.

PEACEFUL LIFE IS THEIR PRIORITY:

Happy people are well-aware of the fact that nothing is as precious as a peaceful life. They keep peace as a priority in their life and every other thing falls secondary to it. They live within their means, they keep realistic goals. They don't overdo it. They take good care of their physical and mental health.


They believe that by cultivating peace in their life they can achieve much more. Whenever they find themselves off-track they try to revert to a peaceful state. They are self-reflective are aware of their inner world, and can sense slight disruption in inner peace. They never trade their mental peace in running after unrealistic goals.

THEY DON'T SEEK APPROVAL OF OTHERS:

Happy people accept both their strengths and weaknesses. They know the art of self-compassion, and they console themselves when facing failure or difficult situations. They accept that they are trying their best and trust their instincts. They don't beat themselves up for making human errors. They show kindness towards them as well as to others. As they are already aware of their flaws and consider them a part of being human, they don't internalize criticism and judgment from the outside world nor do they require external validation, they appreciate themselves for their achievements no matter how small they are.


They know their self-worth. They don't mold their decisions to please others to feel loved, they do what they feel is right. They are capable of loving themselves and whenever they find themselves deviating from the right path they know how to rectify it with compassion and kindness.


They don't deny their mistakes and don't feel egoistic to apologize when someone gets offended by them. They are their best teachers, they know what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how to work on their less desirable attributes.

THEY ENJOY THE SUCCESS OF OTHERS AS WELL:

Happy people don't compare their life with others. They don't feel jealous, they understand that everyone is going through different pathways in life, and nobody can escape the twists and turns of life. They know we all have something to celebrate. We all are blessed in some ways. They appreciate others for their success and efforts while acknowledging their strengths. Their positive attitude towards life uplifts their happy state, enabling them to get more from life as they don't deplete their energy by envying others.


They don't have space for negativity in their hearts, they don't feel threatened by helping others and making them climb up the ladder of success, instead, they feel capable of contributing and making a difference in the lives of others.

THEY APPRECIATE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE:

Happy people don't miss a chance to enjoy simple things in day-to-day life. They know that by focusing on small beautiful things in life they can maintain their happiness. They like to smell the blooming flowers, walk on the lush green grass, sip a hot coffee, watch their favorite movie, enjoy their favorite ice cream flavor, play with their pet, or notice the beauty around them.


They don't wait for things to happen, they fully enjoy each moment and embrace it. They try to find joy in little things. They are quick to find goodness in others. They show warmth to others by appreciating their talents and qualities.


Happy people are not born lucky, they keep a healthy perspective towards life. They believe in the motto, live and let others live. They are pro-life. They are nurturing and don't hinder the growth of others. They try to focus on the brighter side of life while accepting the unavoidable suffering in life. They are the realistic people with a positive mindset.


We can adopt these traits of happy people and can bring a pleasant change in our lives. It's never too late to start living according to the principles which keep you happy and peaceful. All the best!

Peaceful Life is a Happy Life