Are you being fearless? When something keeps popping up you know it’s a sign to consider the topic, do some research and write about it. That’s what happened to me recently around the subject of fear. It all started with a movie. My husband couldn’t wait to share the trailer of a newly released movie with me entitled “The Walk“. Wow! After seeing the trailer and despite my fear of heights, I was drawn to this movie. I had to know more. I had to see it. And what intrigued me the most is that “The Walk” is based on a true story. A man by the name of Philippe Petit, a French high wire artist, dreamed of walking on a wire between the roofs of the north and south towers of the World Trade Centre. Sound scary? Risky? Impossible? Yes! And despite all this, Philippe realized his dream on August 7, 1974!

Next, one of my teachers and mentors in the world of Online Business Management, Tina Forsyth of TinaForsyth.com and OnlineBusinessManager.com addressed fear in her Fearless Women’s Mastermind Group invitation video. Here are a few of Tina’s direct quotes from the video. She defines being fearless as “knowing that fear is there”, “looking fear in the eye”, and says that “the things that scare you the most are usually the things you should do”. Tina goes on to say that being fearless is “letting fear have less power/control over you”, “being able to move forward in spite of fear” and “knowing that fear is always going to be there and yet on the other side it takes you to that next stage of growth; fulfilling your mission, income…” etc.

It was interesting to hear how Tina defined being fearless because I’ve always been conscious of the fact that fear has its place in keeping us safe in certain circumstances. This brings me to Monica Shah of Revenue Breakthrough who addresses the awareness of fear in our history as humans and how we can use that fear to propel us forward too. Here’s what Monica had to say in a recent newsletter: “…fear is totally normal in any situation that is out of our “comfort zone” or situations in which we don’t feel safe. At one point in our history as humans, that fear kept us from being eaten alive by a bear or tiger. As entrepreneurs, we often feel fear – because we are often out of our comfort zone – learning new things every day and doing things we just don’t have expertise in. And when you are doing something like following up with a client, it is easy for your body to associate that task with the worst possible outcome – rejection and embarrassment. The thing that I want you to understand is that there’s nothing wrong with you when you feel fear. And it doesn’t mean you “should” stop, either.” She goes on to say that fear could just mean you’re doing something new, not that there’s something wrong. And that instead of letting it stop you, let it get you into action.

I realized that I have taken on the “feel the fear and do it anyway” approach in the past. Being a shy and quiet person by nature, public speaking (next to a fear of heights) was a big fear. I’ve heard it ranks up there as a top fear for most people. But you know what? I had so many things that I felt were important to share that I decided not to let that fear stop me. I’ve got up to speak in front of groups in various settings. How do I do it? I have 3 tips for you. I’ll use delivering a presentation as an example but you can tweak these 3 steps and apply them to other life situations.

1. Be prepared. Read about how to deliver an engaging presentation and create your outline from there. Have a script and practice, practice, practice. Don’t go it alone. Enlist the help of others. Can someone hand out worksheets or run your slide show?

2. Visualize a positive experience and outcome. Picture yourself delivering your presentation, having fun sharing your content with an engaged audience. They want you to do well. When you do, they benefit. Use positive self-talk and simplify the situation. For example, say to yourself “this is an hour of my life, I can do this; in an hour from now it will be all said and done; I’m going to do well and it’s going to feel great; if “X” can do it so can I” etc.

3. Just do it. You’re well prepared and you’ve practiced so take a deep breath, relax and smile. No one wants to watch a nervous speaker. You know what that feels like, right? Uncomfortable!

Back to Philippe, the fearless high-wire artist. He approached his feat in much the same manner:

1. He prepared for years to master his skill then proceeded to build his support team. Without them he could not have pulled off his twin towers walk.

2. With positive visualization, despite the naysayers, Philippe remained positive that he would complete his walk successfully.

3. Putting one foot in front of the other, to achieve his lifelong dream, Philippe put everything he learned and practiced into play and confidently stepped out onto the wire (without a safety net or harness!) with a plan to succeed.

I believe that we can accomplish anything that we want to do in life; we just have to take the steps to get there. After watching the story of Philippe Petite unfold in 3D on the big screen it confirmed to me that anything is possible. So I ask you, what’s your dream? Is fear stopping you? Or are you going to feel the fear and do it anyway?