Fear is nothing more than False Expectations Appearing Real.

Fear is nothing more than False Expectations Appearing Real.

The truth about fear is that fear is an illusion. A very powerful one for sure, but still an illusion. It’s a mind-game.

Fear is nothing more than

False

Expectations

Appearing

Real.

It brings to mind something Tony Robbins discussed years ago. What he described was the similarity in the physiology of two polar opposite emotions: Fear and Excitement.

The only difference between fear and excitement is a different expected outcome – one negative and one positive. Why do some people cling to the safety of scarcity and others hide from the freedom of success.

Let’s say you are afraid of public speaking and you’re about to go in front of your entire company to give a presentation. Your palms and forehead are sweaty. You imagine walking up the mic and “SQWEEEAL” the thing feeds back… You picture yourself fumbling and bumbling your way through and looking like a complete idiot to everyone…

Now, imagine you’re the guy who LOVES being onstage and has been anxiously awaiting your “time to shine”. You’ve got all of your materials ready. You’re pacing in the hallway like a big game cat. You literally cannot wait to get out there and kick ass…

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Nelson Mandela

With a negative expectation, the presentation is a thing of dread and terror. With a positive expectation, the presentation is a golden opportunity. Your body reacts the same way in either case, elevated heart rate, adrenal glands kick in… It’s just a matter of which way you perceive the experience that shapes the outcome.

Which one do YOU choose?