Why “Overcoming” Your Fear Is A Bad Idea [Episode 186]

I recently had a podcast listener write and ask: “How to I stop my nerves from bubbling up every time I get up to speak?”

This is a common question, and a common goal I hear people say. Other examples include:

“I want to overcome my fear of public speaking”
“I don’t want to feel this anxiety any more”
“I want to stop feeling so worried about sharing my ideas”
“I want to stop my anxiety taking over every time I get up to speak.”

What do these phrases have in common? They all use language that suggests we want to STOP or AVOID feeling the negative emotions of fear, anxiety, nervousness etc.

The problem with this, is that when we use language like this, we set ourselves up to fail. ‘Negative’ feelings are a natural part of being human, and must be embraced in order for us to achieve anything that challenges us.

Yes, you read that correctly. Any goal that challenges us or is new, is going to bring up feelings of unease. And in order for us to achieve our goal, we need to lean in to those feelings, instead of trying to avoid them.

In this episode, I share 6 big ideas on  why it’s OK to feel negative emotions, and how you can better manage them in high pressure or challenging situations.

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