Turn the tables on toxic fear…
Toxic fear is the very last thing you need, especially when you’re busy or under pressure. It eats up your energy and your time, and adds to your stress and feelings of overwhelm.
But what do I mean by toxic fear?
And how often does it creep into your thinking, distracting and undermining you?
It’s a terrible feeling. And on the flip side, don’t you love it when you feel energized, alert and confident?
Challenges feel workable, and you transition easily from one task to the next. When you look back at the end of the day, you feel contentment and appreciation.
Toxic Fear – Seeing Clearly is the First Step
But then there are those days when nothing seems to go right. Instead of smoothly navigating sudden curves, your productivity sputters, maybe stalling out completely! You feel anxious, stuck, and isolated. Meanwhile, time flies by.
Try a first-class effectiveness tune-up. Start by noticing when fear is eating a hole in your day. The more keenly you look, the more examples you’re going to discover.
Here are 3 common situations, coupled with simple questions to help you regain control of your time.
Procrastination: “It will go away.”
It’s not logical, but deep inside, perhaps you hope you can sidestep this task. Unfortunately, the more you postpone it, the bigger your fears grow. Often distortions feed the flames, exaggerating the discomfort, and the ways you may feel helpless.
Antidote: Ask yourself a practical question like, “What action step can I take and complete in one sitting?”
This deceptively simple question keeps you focused on accomplishing something realistic. A workable action step that you can approach with assurance is a real confidence booster. As you actively engage, the fears melt away.
Perfectionism: “It’s not perfect yet.”
Perhaps you are stuck in “re-review mode”, endlessly reviewing, revising, and polishing. Meanwhile, other key tasks are ignored. Quite often, you are your own harshest critic.
Antidote: Call on realism, your strongest and most reliable ally. Give voice to your practicality. Ask yourself: “What is good enough?”
Notice how answering this demonstrates that you, not your project, hold the real key to your success. Also resolve to befriend any mistakes as the lessons they truly are, then move forward. (This becomes quite easy, with practice, and offers lots and lots of valuable information.)
Urgency: “I must do something NOW!”
Do you ever act impulsively, leading to time-consuming oversights? Urgency is fear-induced behavior, too. No matter how fear affects you, your valuable time is always a casualty.
Antidote: Next time you feel like leaping first and looking later, ask yourself: “What are 3 alternatives to rushing ahead?”
Notice how this redirects your energy right back to your own resourcefulness and away from your toxic fear.
Toxic Fear – YOU Truly Hold the Power
In the act of generating other options, you might weigh factors you pushed past, back when you had first rushed towards a decision. So it’s important to know that you can save a lot of time by slowing down.
Fears capitalize on distortions. For example, when you work from an all-or-nothing, scarcity mentality, you overlook your greatest source of abundance, YOU.
Don’t sell yourself short; take a few minutes to explore a friendly question. It will help you stand in your power. As you overcome your anxieties, you will flow forward with ease. Not only will you work better, you will feel better too.
So, what will be your first step, right now, to recognize and move beyond toxic fear?
Here’s more help…
Perfectionism eats up the energy and undermines the confidence of countless bright, energetic, and talented people. Are you one of them?
“Why Perfectionists Aren’t Perfect: How to Overcome the Pitfalls of Perfectionism and Change Your Life for Good” puts proven, practical, heart-based time success tools into your hands. It gently steers you to a more profound understanding of your challenges and helps you unlock the door to your freedom. This is an E-Guide Book to be worked with. And it comes with two powerful bonuses:
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So, are you tired of feeling like your own worst enemy? Then click the link below to learn more about this transformative time tool and the bonuses that come with it.
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