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Oftentimes throughout life, people feel afraid to do certain things, so they regard fear as the culprit of their unwillingness. In reality it is the fear itself that holds them back. Yet this can be overcome, for as FDR once said, "The only thing to fear is fear itself."

Foremost, this ideal to me means that no one should ever back down from anything because they are afraid. Fear is only an excuse to not do something and fear is a burden that many people lug around like a cumbersome bag. Sadly most people let their fears inhibit their actions; thus these individuals never live up to their true potential. The people who are able to get past these fears are the ones who turn into truly great people.

Claim your own fear and anger. By claiming it, you have the power to change it. Often anger is a defense against feeling fear. If we deny our strong negative emotions, they don’t go away. Other people can often sense them, and we’re more likely to project them onto other people and situations. Name, claim, and release your negative emotions in a safe way. Simply talking with a trusted friend about your concerns can make a big difference. On the other hand, research shows that techniques like catharsis, in which you act out your aggression, actually make people more aggressive and create less safety generally. Vibe like you’re a safe person. Consider that whatever you notice is lacking in a situation is often what you can contribute to it.

Waiting for other people to help you feel safe creates the kind of dependence on external circumstances that won’t lead to a lasting sense of security. Feel your own goodness and your positive intention, and let others feel it, too. This will signal to others that you’re a safe person and help them relax.

Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. Rather, it’s the mastery of fear. Courage, my compatriot Socrates argues, is the knowledge of what is not to be feared. Which is to say, there are things we should be afraid of — we want to stay alive, after all. We will never completely eliminate fear from our lives, but we can definitely get to the point where our fears do not stop us from daring to think new thoughts, try new things, take risks, fail, start again, and be happy. Fearlessness is about getting up one more time than we fall down. The more comfortable we are with the possibility of falling down, the less worried we are of what people will think if and when we do, the less judgmental of ourselves we are every time we make a mistake, the more fearless we will be, and the easier our journey will become.

By managing your fear, you’ll be more effective in the actions you take to help bring about the changes you want to see in the world, because you’ll be taking mindful action instead of reacting based on your fears in the moment.