75 Ways to Befriend Fear and Live a Bold Life

 

If each of us experiences fear, doesn't it make sense that we learn how to grow through it and enjoy life? Sometimes it's easy to break free. Other times it takes more effort. 

When you learn to face and befriend fear, your life becomes rich with meaning, purpose and passion. You become free.

The following tips can help you change your mental, emotional, and physical state:

1. Take a leap of faith. 

2. Dwell on your favorite quotes

3. Own  your magnificence.

4. Accept things exactly as they are.

5. Sit still and breathe through it.

6. Change your thoughts about fear.

7. Take one small step that matters for 365 days.

8. Put your focus on the present moment.

9. Realize that life goes on.

10. Forgive yourself for your mistakes.

11. Read something inspirational.

12. Share your fear with a friend.

13. Acknowledge and understand your fear. 

14. Learn to calm yourself.

15. Try something new. 

16. Reflect on your past successes. 

17. Take your fear to the gym.

18. Spend time in nature.

19. Examine the worst-case scenario.

20. Own your talent and wisdom.

21. Live a bold life.

22. Visualize success.

23. Stop listening to negative media.

24. See challenges as opportunities for growth.

25. Replace competing with others with partnering with others.

26. Surrender to the moment. 

27. Know this too shall pass.

28. Expand your awareness of life.

29. Practice shifting your perception. 

30. Put fear on a shelf and enjoy your day.

31. Count your blessings. 

32. Choose love over fear.

33. Join Toastmasters.

34. Let go of comparison.

35. Begin to understand your emotions.

36. Listen to your intuition.

37. Make wise choices.

38. Listen to your heart.

39. Believe in a generous world.

40. Keep a success journal.

41. Take responsibility for your happiness.

42. Go where you've never been.

43. Introduce yourself to people you don't know.

44. Do it afraid.

45. Cultivate self-confidence and self-trust.

46. Do something creative. 

47. Make something with your hands.

48. Complain less.

49. Surround yourself with lovely people.

50. Learn to want what you have.

51. Take your fear to the gym.

52. Learn a new language.

53. Meditate or pray.

54. Visit the zoo.

55. Replace a bad habit with a good habit.

56. Learn to "be" with yourself.

57. Write morning pages. 

58. Increase your laughter.

59. Listen to uplifting music. Sing along.

60. Do spiritual work.

61. Forgive someone.

62. Take a digital break.

63. Speak less, listen more.

64. Spend time in a garden.

65. Solve a problem.

66. Get a mentor.

67. Stay focused on your dream.

68. Stop doing things you don't want to do.

69. Do things that bring you joy.

70. Persevere.

71. Approach your problems with curiosity.

72. Stop making excuses.

73. Do your inner work.

74. View life as an adventure.

75. Print this list and reread it when you are afraid.

What are you putting off for "someday?"  What are you waiting for? What one step can you take today?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Sanusi rabiu Abolaji July 6, 2012, 6:08 am

    do i have your permission this your 75 tips with friends???? ofcourse you will referenced!!!

  • Tess The Bold Life July 6, 2012, 7:00 am

    Absolutely! I appreciate your support.

  • Angela Artemis|Powered by Intuition July 6, 2012, 7:29 am

    Dear Tess,
    I’m so energized and inspired after reading your 75 great tips!
    There is nothing to fear, but fear itself – right?
    Onward and upward.

    • Tess July 7, 2012, 2:52 am

      Angela,
      I’m with you…onward and upward. Love that Eleanor Roosevelt quote. Thanks for your support!

  • Michael Platania July 6, 2012, 10:27 am

    Breath through it – one of the things I focus on most often.

    • Tess July 7, 2012, 2:50 am

      Michael,
      Love that and I also like “Do it Afraid.”

  • Vidya Sury July 6, 2012, 12:07 pm

    Do things that bring you joy…YES! Thank you! I am in love with lists!

  • Elle July 7, 2012, 4:40 am

    Tess, you make it so hard for me. I’m reading through your list and thinking…oh I love that one…and that one…and…well you get the picture. But ‘take one small step every day for a year’, perhaps choosing some from your list, and everyone better look out, we’d be a different person. There’s a lot of truth in ‘being transformed by the renewing of our mind.’ Simply put we get new ideas from which to think and we become what we think about. You’ve given us a ton of ideas here.
    Elle
    xoxo

  • Cathy | Treatment Talk July 7, 2012, 1:46 pm

    Great list Tess! You have given us all we need to befriend fear!

  • Fran Sorin July 8, 2012, 7:39 am

    Tess….The question I have for you is …where the heck do these ideas come from? I figure that if I practice 1 or 2 a week, I have a good chance of being best friends with my fear in a year. Really….a fine list….xxoo-Fran

  • Ben July 9, 2012, 4:13 am

    Thanks for the article Tess. I feel the inner work is definately an important part. Whether it be using Emotional Freedom Technique as I do.. or through meditation and allowing whatever comes up to be okay.. or combining both.

    I’ve also found it’s important not to overwhelm yourself.. take small steps as you mention and slowly increase that so you get used to it. I’m doing that myself combined with the inner work.

    -Ben

  • Evelyn Lim July 9, 2012, 6:31 pm

    I would certainly like to make friends with fear. I think the more I run away, the more it will come back to haunt me. I have found that it is better to stay put and make peace with my resistances. For one, I get to learn more about myself when I make friends with fear.

    Great post, Tess!

  • Michael Platania July 9, 2012, 7:01 pm

    I’m going to read this again tomorrow when I need to do the things I am afraid to do.

  • Graham Dragon July 10, 2012, 3:27 am

    You have covered this technique as several separate “ways”, but I would like to share a technique I learned nearly 50 years ago from Dale Carnegie and which has served me well ever since:

    1 What is the worst possible outcome if my fear is realised?
    2 Accept that outcome. Realise it is still not the end of the world, and move on from it.
    3 Recognise that outcome will probably never materialise anyway, so the world is actually a lot brighter than I thought.
    4 Now go ahead with whatever originally caused the fear or worry, knowing in advance I have dealt with that fear or worry.

Next Post:

Previous Post: