Fear is real! Fear is crippling. Fear can induce paralysis.
A lot of people have given up on their dreams and desires because of fear. A lot of people are being held back from truly living and thriving because of fear – fear of standing out, speaking out and speaking up!
First, let’s look at why people are afraid of speaking out. A mini research we did on why people are afraid to speak out turned up reasons such as – the fear of rejection, fear of being criticized or judged, fear of making mistakes, feelings of inadequacy and so on.
Fear of speaking out is not only for people who need to speak out in public, it can even show up in private speaking or on social media! Yes! Many people would have done so much more on and with social media if not for fear.
They are people who cannot put up their pictures on social media for fear of what people would say. These fears are making a lot of people live life far below their innate potentials.
The truth is that, we all have fears – everyone. Confidentiality people as well! The only difference is in the ability to manage these fears.
We all need to learn how to manage our fears and negative mind chatter that keeps us hidden and keeps us stuck, so that we can live to the fullest of our potentials.
So, how we can overcome the fear of speaking up?
Here are a few tips that could help you
First, ask yourself, why am I afraid? Knowing why you are afraid can help you get started on the journey to overcoming the fear of speaking out. For instance, if you are afraid of speaking because of you believe you don’t speak English well, you are not alone. There are a lot of people doing great at so many things, while speaking their indigenous language. Train your mind to realise that, it is not about the English you speak but the value you carry. The interesting thing is, value does not have a language. Value is value, regardless of what language it is spoken in.
Even if your fear of speaking is as a result of not being a university graduate, do not let that stop you. There are so many people with certificates who have no common sense just as there are so many people with common sense who have no certificate.
A lot of people would pick common sense over certificates any day, any time. So quit letting something like a piece of paper stop you from pouring the value you carry into the world and lighting it up!
The truthful is that, when you’re living a life of bottled up value, you are not happy. You cannot be happy. You keep feeling unfulfilled and under-utilized. Especially, when you carry the value you know people need. It just eats you up from the inside.
Another tip is to learn how to challenge your mind. A great way to do this is to have a relationship with your mind, so that you can be aware, when it is pulling you down. Self-awareness and mental empowerment is key to challenging the counterproductive thoughts of the mind.
When your mind starts to tell you, who do you think you are? Tell your mind, who am I not to be? We all need to be empowered enough to challenge the negative things our minds tell us.
Read posts, books and materials from people who build your mind and empowers you, so that you can call up this strength and courage when needed
Ask yourself, “if my life is dependent on the next step I want to take, is this fear I am feeling really enough to stop me?”
The truth is, if it was a matter of life and death, you would speak out in spite of the fear. But because we feel like we can get away with NOT DOING, we just shrug it off and not do!
Not realising the fact that, our lives actually depend on us showing up. Because that is when we can truly live!
In this journey of life, we need to keep showing up, because we do not know when our time would come. But when we do not show up, our time won’t even find us when it comes. The fear of losing out on your dreams and goals has to be higher than the fear of speaking up. If you really want to speak up, you have to pretend like your life depends on it, because, it kind of does.
Another powerful question to ask is; what is the worst that can happen? Maybe you might make a mistake while trying to speak. And so? Even if you made a mistake in your first attempt at speaking up, you learn from it and do better until speaking becomes a part of you, and comes naturally to you.
There is a resource we have that you could use to start working on your self-confidence, in order for you take the action you have always wanted to take.
Visit www.amakaobi.com to download the free eBook titled “How to gain confidence to take action in just six days”.
Also, you can watch the taping of the Wivesroundtable radio show where we discussed the “How to overcome the fear of speaking out” on YouTube. Click this link to watch – https://youtu.be/149VUCgdDpU
Remember, you are the light of the world, and you need to give yourself the permission to let your light shine!