Five Fears That Are Keeping You Dreaming--And How To Start Doing

I want you to close your eyes and imagine the life you want. Can you see it? Of course you can see it! You’ve probably been dreaming about it your whole life.

Now, why is that life only in your head? What’s holding you back?

For most of us we come up with excuse after excuse as to why we’re still stuck dreaming, but not doing. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of planning, planning. planning, yet never actually starting anything. Sound familiar?

Today I’m going to go over five common fears that keep you dreaming, but not doing. No more dilly dallying around, it’s time to get down to business (to defeat the Huns).

1. The fear of failure.

Right off the bat, I’m laying this one down.

Fear has two meanings: Forget everything and run or face everything and rise. The choice is yours.

Zig Ziglar

Fear can only control you if you let it. You are going to fail, it is utterly undeniable. You can’t stop failure, but you can choose how you react to it. Don’t run away when things get hard. Allow it to teach you, not torment you. Failure is often our greatest teacher.

Everyone is scared, if you say you aren’t you’re lying–or something is really wrong with your brain and you should probably get that checked out.

It’s only human nature to feel afraid something and you shouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed by it. It happens.

The best way to get over the fear of failure is to just do it! Get out of your head, stop over thinking, and take a leap of faith. The worse that can happen is that is doesn’t work out and you learn a valuable lesson. It’s not that scary I promise, take it from me.

I can’t guarantee that your first, second, or even third venture will succeed, mine certainly didn’t, but don’t let that stop you! The world is waiting for you. Don’t miss out because you’re too scared to try. Life happens outside of our comfort zone.

2. The fear of impracticality.

Just like the fear of failure, the fear of impractically can be just as debilitating, if not more!

We’re humans, we don’t exactly like to stand against the masses. We’re taught from birth to follow the rules, keep our head down, and don’t make too much of a ruckus. In other words, don’t rock the boat.

Well I want to tell you something: ROCK THE DANG BOAT.

How boring would life be if we all lived the “picture perfect” life? Mrs. and Mr. Suburbia with their two children (who play soccer every Saturday) and a beautiful (yet practical) house with a white picket fence.

Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that dream, but if every person on planet earth lived that way–well, we’d have problems. We need people who go against the grain, who question and criticize the normal.

Life is one big puzzle; if you never ask, you’ll never receive. Dare to ask the universe for its secrets. You’ll be surprised what you can learn.

3. The fear of disappointing those you love.

No one wants to disappoint. Most people don’t wake up thinking, “Today, I’m going to be a disappointment.” That’s madness, but more often than not we end up disappointing ourselves trying not to disappoint others.

You, you reading this, have one life and one life only. Don’t spend it trying to please everyone, but yourself. Your life is a gift from God, you’re not promised tomorrow so you might as well start living for today.

Your loved ones might not understand your journey, but that’s okay. Your journey is your journey for a reason. Focus on climbing your own mountain. It might take some time, but eventually they will see you for who you are; this crazy adventure won’t seem so crazy anymore.

Be bold. Be brave. Live your life. And if nothing else, I support your crazy dreams. I am giving you permission to stop walking on egg shells and start chasing the adventure.

4. The fear of financial insecurity.

Oh money, you are as bad as they come. Your chains are strong, but not unbreakable.

I’m not saying don’t worry about money at all, but don’t let it run your life. Traveling really doesn’t have to be as expense as you’ve been told. The world wants you to believe traveling is reserved for millionaires and retirees.

That is false.

If you want to travel, PLEASE don’t let money be the reason you don’t. If you’re willing to be a little creative, the money is out there.

Freelance writing, product reviews, and/or seasonal work are just a few of the options out there for us nomadic adventurers. The possibilities really are endless!

Money isn’t everything. Dare to be a little unconventional and reap the rewards of an adventurous life.

5. The fear of the unknown.

The world is one huge place and it can be intimidating sometimes. If you’re forced to go at it alone (like muah), it can be even scarier.

Whether across the state or across the country, going someplace new can give anyone butterflies, but isn’t that the point?

Listen, be nervous, be scared, but do the thing anyways. You can’t live the life you want if you fear the unknown. When you stick with what you know you’ll never grow. You’ll never have new experiences. You won’t meet all the incredible people the world has to offer.

Don’t think of the unknown as a scary black hole, but rather a blank canvas ready to be painted. Change your thinking and you’ll change your life.

This list isn’t concrete nor complete, fears are as widespread and diverse as the human race, but it is a start. There is no magic solution to solve all your fears, but the first step is to make a choice.

Choose to face your fears, whatever they might be. Choose to confront them and challenge them. Don’t let them run your life.

You always have a choice: to live in fear or to live in faith. It’s up to you. The adventure is out there.