This post is going to go a bit outside of the usual parameters of Supplement Reviews Lab.
While most of my content to date has been related to fitness, health or supplements-my goal is to help you as much as possible in any area that I can.
I hope that you will accept me veering of course a bit to discuss an easy method you can use immediately that just may change your life.
One area that so many people struggle with is fear.
I have been and often am still one of those people in many regards.
I used to have overwhelming fear of everything.
It was so bad that it completely handicapped me in so many areas of my life and consumed far too much of my time.
I read a lot of books and went through a lot of trials and tribulations before I realized how to cure fear.
It was in a book written 60 years ago that I discovered a powerful two-step process for curing fear that completely changed the way I thought about fear and helped me overcome it.
How I discovered this method
Let me just say that I cannot take any credit for this method at all since I didn’t create it.
I discovered this method in a book called The Magic Of Thinking Big. It was written in 1959 by a Doctor named David Schwartz.
While it has continued to be a popular book over the years, I think it got overshadowed by a lot of other books that came out during that time and may not have gotten the attention it truly deserves.
I bought it a little while back and was completely mesmerized by how great of a book it is. It’s had a prime spot in my bookshelf ever since and I routinely pull it out from time to time.
Like most books though, I forgot a lot of it since that first read and am currently reading it for a second time, which is how I was reminded of this powerful method.
Among a ton of other great advice to help you improve your thinking, Schwartz gives a very simple two-step method for curing fear.
In fact, it’s so concise, the explanation of it only takes up half a page in the book.
It’s so simple that you probably think it won’t work for you. After all you have complicated problems that require complicated solutions, right?
Do me a favor and have an open mind. I promise that if you give this method a shot, you will find its value.
The method is based on the powerful fact that action cures fear.
Step # 1- Identify you fear
This may sound a little easier than it really is.
The truth is that most people never take the time to sit down and actually analyze their thoughts.
They just walk around all day with these random thoughts going around in their head.
If they took the time to sit down, journal or think about these thoughts, they would make a lot more progress in their lives.
Fear lies in the mind. Fear is caused by your thoughts of something. That’s it.
Not to say that fear isn’t real, because it definitely is. It produces physical and mental effects however, the place to beat your fear is in the mind.
The first step in this process is to nail down your exact fear.
What are you really afraid of?
Are you afraid of public speaking? or are you afraid of looking stupid in front of a group of people? Find the thing that you really fear.
Sit down and write out what you really fear.
Put it on paper in front of you.
Step # 2- Take action on that fear
This is the true way to beat your fear.
As Schwartz says, action beats fear.
It took me a long time to realize this.
The natural way for us to deal with fear is avoidance.
Whatever scares us, we generally try to avoid.
This is completely the wrong method and only brings about more fear into your life.
The way to beat and eliminate fear is to go through it!
You must feel that fear and continue to run towards it.
Only after you attack that fear will it leave you.
Once you identify your fear, you need to take action to beat it.
Do the thing that scares you.
If it’s a fear of public speaking, sign up for toastmasters and give a speech every meeting until the fear goes away.
If you are afraid of talking to people, go find a job where you will have to interact with a lot of people like sales. You will be forced daily to face your fear.
It will take time, but as long as you continue to act you will beat that fear.
Keep it simple
I told you that this method was simple.
In 2019, everyone seems to be in love with the complex.
We think we need all these complicated rules and methods to deal with our problems when it just isn’t the case.
The simple option is usually the best option.
I can’t say that I’ve ever come across an easier way to cure fear.
It’s one of the biggest problems people face, yet the solution is right in front of us.
Sadly, people overlook the solution because they think that it needs to be more complicated!
Please don’t make this mistake.
Action cures all
Whatever fear you have, the way to beat it is with action. I don’t care what you’re afraid of.
Not acting will ensure that you fear sticks with you and gets comfortable.
The longer you put off taking action, the harder it will be so the time to act is as soon as possible.
Once you adopt this method as your primary way to cure fear, your view of fear will totally change.
It’s happened to me.
You realize that fear just means that there is an area that requires action.
Can you imagine how much you will grow as a person if you take continuous action against every fear in your life?
You would become a totally different person in a short amount of time.
Always take action.
Stay pumped,
Dan
P.S. Have you ever tried this method or read “The Magic Of Thinking Big”? I’d love to hear your comments or thoughts below. I’d also love to hear about anything that you do to beat fear!
Hi,
what an inspiring post!
I like your post about How To Cure Fear In Two Steps
When I saw the title of your article. Out of curiosity, I wanted to understand how it is possible to
Starting to read your article from the first to the last line, I realized that everything is said.
I agree with you.
It’s true you can’t fight an enemy you don’t know. And seeking to know our fears and sources can be useful to us.
And the most important thing in all this is the action, as you clearly pointed out at the end.
I was also surprised that this book talks about fear, considering the titles I see. And that leads me to ask you a question. It’s really a book to have.
Thank you Sebastian! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it! I think that you will get a ton of value out of it. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your comment!
Great read and very interesting. Fear is very psychological and it’s inspiring to see you have managed to use this book to help you overcome your fear. I work with many people who have fear over certain things which affects their performance. I will be sure to forward your recommendation and the proof you have shown it can work :).
Thanks Lee! Glad you enjoyed it. Very true! I really appreciate you sharing it. That would be great. Thanks for your comment and thanks for stopping by!
I agree with you and the author of this book. By the way, thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check it out sometimes. The fear is a natural emotion, just like every other. There is no cure for it, but it can be transformed into something else. Thee two steps perfectly outline how to do so. Thanks for sharing!
No problem Ivan! It really is a great book and I think you will enjoy it. It has a ton of gems in it. Not a cure per say but it can be eliminated if you take the right action!! Thanks for your comment and thanks for stopping by!
I’m looking forward to reading it. I’m a big fan of personal development material. My ‘to-read’ list is getting larger and larger as we speak. I agree. The right action in the face of the fear is like weedkiller for garden weeds! I’m looking forward to more of your top-notch content!
I think you will like it Ivan! Tell me about it. I find new books every day that I want! My Amazon cart is never ending LOL. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your comment!
I love this book!!!
Great review Dan. I think high school kids should have to read this book in Grade eight. I think it would help so many kids to do great things if they could get over their fears.
I am a bad on for procrastinating, and it is usually because of some type of fear.
I have started writing the important things that I want done, in my planner. In pen. No erasing! I still procrastinate sometimes, but not as much now that I understand that I just need to take that first step…even if it is just writing things down. Seeing it in print is so helpful.
Thank you for posting this!
I think that they should as well Irma! As you have read it, you know how powerful it is. I too have had issues with procrastinating in the past. When you have a fear of something, it makes it so much easier to just put it off. Unfortunately, that usually makes the fear worse. Love that idea! There’s something powerful in putting your ideas on paper. Once you see them written down in front of you, they become real. That’s why I always make sure to write my goals down. Thank you for stopping by and thanks for your comment!
I am glad I accidentally came across your post. I have for so many years been dealing with the fear of heights. I refused to partake in activities that pushed me close to those boundaries. It looks like I might have to adopt your 2 steps and see how it goes for me.
This fear I have for height will have to be gotten rid of at some point. Thanks a lot for sharing!!
I used to struggle with a fear of heights as well. The way that I got over a lot of the fear was taking action on it! Doing things like going on airplanes and going on the tallest roller coasts I can find drastically eliminated my fear to it. While I still have some fear of heights, it’s not nearly as bad as it was. Taking action really does help. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your comment!
This is truly a deep topic and one I struggle with everyday.
I try to implement the advice of taking action on my fears, but it is not always easy. However, you are right, it is the most effective way to deal with fear.
Awareness of our fears and the thoughts that created it is also very important, as it gives us a chance to see fear for what it truly is instead of identifying with it and being drawn into it.
Very interesting post Dan, thank you for sharing!
It’s something that we all struggle with. Just keeping working at it and you will make progress. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your comment!
Awesome advice. However this sounds easier than it actually is. The main problem with fear is not taking action. But having the courage to do something once will not permanently change your state and make you want more of that the same. You usually need everyday action on some parts of your personality to make it stick.
Most of the people are just not ready for this kind of dedication. They usually try a few times and when they realise the fear is still strong and there – they quit.
I also think that we must have our goal in mind. If you really want something, there are no things or obstacles that will come your way that you wont be able to deal with.
When you do something you like, even if it has some unpleasant part, you will eventually achieve it.
When you do something you don’t really like and doing it just for the sake of it, you won’t get far.
Thank you.
Thanks Strahinja! I’m glad you enjoyed it. You summed it up perfectly! Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your comment!
Hey Dan. I am so glad I read your post and I plan on reading the book you recommended. Fear has always been an issue of mine and this post gives me hope that it may be easier to face than I thought.
Hi Michael,
I think you will enjoy it! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Hang in there and you will make progress. Thanks for your comment and thanks for stopping by!
I’ve heard of this book before, never really looked into it back in the day. After reading up on your review though, I’m glad I got to this page. I’ll be looking into purchasing this book and I appreciate the review very much, I’ve been trying to find effective ways to improve myself of fear of pushing myself forward, especially in during training periods at the gym. Thanks for sharing!
It’s a great book! I think that you will get a lot out of it. I know that I have. Let me know what you think of it! Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your comment!
Hmmm … I fear that you will be upset that I do not entirely agree with this book’s idea of challenging your fear. I suppose it depends on which fear it is. Funny, since you may or may not recall my own website deals with certain reactions to fear. I am not going to go spider-hunting and let the little arachnids crawl onto my hands. Sorry. They will have to play on the grass.
I am pleased, however, that others are learning to deal with their fears in ways that work for them. I agree with the KISS method, but some things are complex, regardless of how we’d like for them to not be. Well, you are a smart man. Hopefully, you won’t hate me for disagreeing. If it worked for you, that’s awesome! Best wishes!
That’s fine Cathy you can disagree! It has sold something like 4 million copies over the years though so it certainly has proven to be effective for many. Nobody is saying you have to let spiders crawl on you, but can’t you watch some youtube videos of spiders to decrease the fear? Doesn’t always have to be something so drastic. They can definitely be complex and this is just one of many methods for dealing with it! I appreciate your commentary. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your comment!