Fear is a thief. Though fear exist to help us respond to perceived threats before it is too late (cavemen needed something to tell them to run with a lion was near by); fear has morphed into an intruder, robbing us of our ability to chase our dreams, listen to our hearts, and accomplish the amazing. We fail to fall in love, not because we can’t, but because we are afraid to get hurt. We stay in bad jobs/careers, not because we don’t have choices, but because we are afraid to leave what is comfortable. And because fear is an emotion, hardwired into our being, eliminating fear is not an option. Consequently, the key is not to waste time wishing we never had to feel fear again, it’s to learn how to deal with fear whenever it appears.

There are three responses to fear: fight, power up and get ready for war;  flight, strap on our Nike’s and get the heck out of there; or freeze, become so overwhelmed with the feeling we become paralyzed.  Many of us never reach our full potential because we tend to only use the flight or freeze responses to fear. The reason we lean so heavily on flight and freeze is because we don’t believe the potential upside of what we have to gain is anywhere near the gravity of the danger we perceive lurks behind that door should we open it.  Consequently, we convince ourselves that it is better to run the other direction or do nothing, than face the pain that may occur should we fail. The problem is that we tend to overestimate the threat of danger; in other words, our perception is not reality. And while it is true that there is no promise that we will always be met with positive results when we chase the extraordinary, it is very likely that any potential negative consequences that may arise will not be as bad as we estimate beforehand (yes, the girl may break up with you, but it’s not going to kill you).

The correct way to learn to deal with fear is to learn to respond with the fight mechanism (unless someone has a gun to your head or you see an angry lion up ahead). Rather than run with our tail between our legs, we should learn to face our fears head on and push through to our desired ending. Metaphorically, this means allowing your heartbeat to accelerate (encourage/motivate yourself), tunnel vision to take over (prioritize & focus), and ears to shut down (stop listening to anyone who is not pushing you towards greatness). It means rolling up your sleeves, strapping on your gloves, and swinging with everything you’ve got until you’ve won. It means refusing to back down, even when things aren’t going your way, because you know you have too much to accomplish-and anything worth achieving won’t come easy.

Has fear robbed you in the past? Determine now that 2012 will not be a repeat and you will fight to do what you know your heart is telling you to do; flight and freeze are not options when it comes to your vision, dreams, passions, and goals.  Declare now what you will not be afraid to fight for in 2012. Leave a note in the comments or share a message with your friends in facebook and twitter (use #imnotafraidtofight as your hashtag).