Get Rid of Fear and Stop Playing It Safe

This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "You Are A Badass" by Jen Sincero. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.

Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here .

Are you letting fear hold you back from breaking out of your comfort zone? Do you want to learn how to get rid of fear and stop playing it safe?

Our whole lives, we’re taught to fear what hasn’t happened yet. Fear is always there, surrounding us, ready to pounce and stop us from taking chances, but we can choose whether we’ll engage with it or get rid of fear.

If you want to learn to get rid of fear, keep reading below.

How to Get Rid of Fear

When we’re ready to break out of our comfort zones and start creating a new life, we’re too often held back by fear. Fear is always there, surrounding us, ready to pounce and stop us from taking chances, but we can choose whether we’ll engage with it or get rid of fear

Fear has become a habit, instilled in childhood. We’re taught to fear the world and play it safe, cautioning everyone around us. We’re so conditioned to do this that when others share their excitement over their big, brave plans — I’m traveling around the world by myself! I’m quitting my job to become an actor! — we answer with fear, caution and alarm. This is akin to something called the “crab effect.” When a bunch of crabs are in a bowl and one tries to climb out, the rest will try to pull him back down instead of helping him.

Our world would be very different if, instead of being taught to fear, we were taught to get rid of fear and believe in miracles — that anything is possible.

The main drawback of fear is that it lives in the future: what we’re afraid of hasn’t happened yet. We have no idea if what we fear will actually ever happen. For example, we’re often fearful of death, but for all we know it could be a state of pure love and light.

Fighting fear requires becoming comfortable with the unknown, which is also known as faith. When your faith is greater than your fear of the unknown, you can get rid of fear find freedom instead.

Tips for Navigating Your Way Through Fear

Look to the past. Think about something in your past you were afraid of. How do you feel about it now? Does it even give you a twinge of fear anymore? When you face your next challenge, remember that no matter how big it feels now, someday it will seem insignificant. Envision your current challenge from the future — from a place of victory — and it will lose much of its power to terrify you.
Try a different perspective. When you can’t get rid of fear, try looking at it from a different point of view. Break it down and pinpoint what you’re really afraid of, and then flip it around to make it work for you. For example, say you want to write a book but you can’t get started. Ask yourself why. The answer could be, “I’m scared it will be awful.” So what happens if it’s awful? “I’ll be ashamed.” So basically, you’re not writing a book to protect yourself from feeling ashamed and stupid. Then flip this around. How stupid and ashamed will you be if you don’t write your book? Very! By changing your perspective, you can use the fear of not doing the thing you’re scared of as fuel.
Be in the moment: Right now, is anything scary happening? Or are thoughts in your head freaking you out? Being afraid before something happens depletes your energy. Instead, stay in the moment and connect to your higher self. In the moments before you step into something scary — asking for a promotion, jumping out of a plane — connect to Source Energy; keep your frequency high and your belief in miracles strong. You’ll find you’re better equipped to deal with the situation and realize it’s scarier in your mind than in reality.
Limit the negative input you receive. The bad news you read and watch builds into your fear. But wallowing in the pain and suffering of others isn’t helping anyone. If you really want to help the world, keep your frequency high and do your work from a place of power and joy.
Don’t think about upsetting things in bed at night. Our fears feel greatly magnified at 3 am. But there’s nothing you can do about it. Instead, don’t waste precious time thinking about your problems — there’s nothing you can do about them at that point, and inevitably the next morning they don’t seem as scary. Use meditation to banish troubling thoughts. Focus on relaxing your body one muscle at a time. Do whatever you can to get a good night’s sleep — because being exhausted the next day won’t help you solve your problems.