YOUR FEAR OR YOUR GOAL: Which Is More Important?

Have you ever found yourself in a somewhat embarrassing situation? This is my experience:

In 2008, in State Experimental School Kumasi. I was in second year in Junior High School. My French teacher, Mr. Kwaku, asked some of my colleagues and I to read some Bible verses in French during a ceremony (I can’t remember the exact ceremony). When asked, I simply said, ‘I don’t want to do it’. Deep down I wished to do it but I gave excuses because I was simply afraid. Mr. Kwaku didn't convince me, he virtually forced me to read. I now understand his actions then; I was supposed to be one of his best French students. Can you imagine what happened?

Well, I was already gripped with fear before I took the podium. When I raised my head to see the audience, the look on their faces, their silence, attention and expectation….I was virtually shaking (no one seemed to notice though). To cut a long story short, I messed up. Even though some people will tell you, you did well, I know I messed up. At least a senior in final year confirmed it.

Now, fast forward, seven years later in 2015:

I was in the first semester of level 300 in the University of Ghana Business School. I had to deliver a talk to introduce a platform (nikasemo- www.nikasemo.com) in front of a relatively large level 100 class in JQB 23 (a lecture hall in the University of Ghana). I was a little bit tensed. The tension made me procrastinate a bit- I delivered the talk at 7:30am instead of 7:15am. Despite that, I think I did well. I was able to maintain my composure well enough to even answer some questions. I consider that my first ‘cool’ public talk. I don’t consider myself someone with any experience in that though(I’m yet to accumulate more of that).

The question here is: what did I do different?

Make Your 'Goal' the Boss and Your  'Fear' the Subordinate

I simply made a choice. What choice? I chose to make fear a subordinate of my goal during the second talk. I made the introduction of nikasemo to the class a superior to any fear- I made the ‘goal’ the boss and the ‘fear’ the subordinate. In the first scenario I didn't even have the mental strength to separate the fear from the goal; fear was the boss.

Are you willing to go any length to achieve that goal or dream? If yes, what about these questions: are you going to allow fear to steal that goal or dream from you? Will you make your dream or goal a subordinate of your fear? How do you feel when you look back and think ‘I could have killed that but I was just afraid’? I don’t know about you, but it’s definitely not a good feeling to me.

In some situations, your fear might seem bigger than your goal. Whenever this happens consider the Biblical story of how tiny David overcame the giant Goliath. It’s not easy, but I believe the moment you can make that seemingly small goal a superior to that seemingly big fear, you are halfway through your victory over fear.

Stephen R. Covey rightly captured this,’ Courage isn't the absence of fear, it is the awareness that something else is important’

The next time you find yourself in a situation where fear is threatening, ask yourself: my fear or my goal: which is more important?

Stay put, be expectant and get ready for other posts on managing fear.I hope you are on track in your quest to achieve your goal-2016. Cheers!

Sources:

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-cartoon-man-scolding-little-boy-isolated-image55336604

http://www.amazingtruelifestories.com/stories-of-women/the-true-sad-story-of-a-courageous-woman-part-four/attachment/fear/