Fear of Training

I have found that the largest hurdle in my life is always my own fear. Some people may not consider the fact that fear is holding them back, but whenever I hesitate, or stumble, or approach something with less enthusiasm than I should,  I analyze it and decide that it is fear. 



I think that many people are afraid of looking foolish. I love laughing and actually find some of the best situations are when I do something that I can laugh at, that seems to be quite often. I rarely try to be serious. 

I think that many people are afraid of failing. Who ever started out being able to do something right the very first time? You learned to roll over, crawl, walk and then run. It takes time. Why do so many people feel they need to be "experts" at something the first time they try it?

I think many people live lives that are boring and predictable because they are afraid to venture out into something new, it's like a prison. I know people who won't go out dancing because they "can't dance". I hate to burst your bubble, but it's the people who CAN dance that we are all looking at! 

How many times have you wanted to do something, yet didn't, and years later you replay "what might have been" in your head over and over and over? It could have been something small, or something bigger, something life changing.

We always seem to make our fears much bigger than they ever really were, or even could be. Are you someone who thinks the worst all the time? Or says "what if....? So exactly WHAT are you afraid of? Write down a couple of things that scare you the most.  Now next to them, write down the worst possible outcome if these fears came true. Next to that, write down what the most likely outcome is.

Next, write down what that fear is holding you back from. Is it worth it? Is the most likely outcome really that bad? 

I am petrified to speak or even stand in front of a group of people, that's tough because standing and posing, almost naked in front of them is just as scary to me. What's so scary about speaking in front of people? Well...I guess I could say something silly, or an incorrect fact, or I might not know the answer to a question. Or, I might bore someone! Funny thing is, people think I LOVE speaking in public, I tend to be quite animated. People actually tell me that I am a great speaker! They think I like it!

So what do I do? I face my fear. I get on stage and pose. Sure, there is no talking, but I am standing in front of 1000 people and they are critiquing my body, my physique.

I am still scared every time I go out there but I cannot let that hold me back from doing what I want to do. I train hard and eat very specific meals so my body looks a certain way, I want to show it off. I have grown tremendously by doing exactly what I fear most. I have become more self confident, self reliant and...I respect myself more. I realized that I am worth it, I am an important person who has something to say!

Everyone is afraid of something. But how often do they think about that fear and the reality of it? Spiders....I am scared of spiders. So what does that prevent me from doing? Hmmm...digging in wood piles; sorting through old papers, sleeping in my bedroom sometimes. Yes indeed, I won't sleep in there if there is a big hairy spider in there. It might crawl on me. It might bite me. Right...that's so stupid! The damn thing is probably scared of me! I am working on it, believe me.

I know many people who are afraid to go to the gym because they are overweight  They are afraid that they don't know how to properly use the equipment. They are afraid they may look........foolish.

I was there once, I knew nothing. But I went in, I watched and I learned. Sure, I watched a lot pf people who did things wrong, but that is easy to figure out by watching many different people. I hired a trainer. I started with once a week, that's all I could afford. He taught me slowly, but I practiced. I felt very proud when I mastered something new. I felt accomplished. I felt smart.

I think people tend to forget that each day could be their last, most of us won't win the lottery (heck, I don't even buy tickets, so I definitely won't be winning!);  it's unfortunate that fears hold some people back from experiencing thrilling events that can enrich their lives for the remainder of their years.

Think about your fears. Think about your satisfaction with your life. If throwing caution to the wind might make things just a little more thrilling.....stop letting fear hold you back.