Think back to when you first learned how to drive. You might have been so nervous that you put half of your foot on the gas pedal while resting the other half on the break. Your intention was to move the car but to also have the breaks covered in case you lost control or sped up too fast.

This same manner of living is what stops many individuals from pursuing their dreams in becoming an investor. There’s always that excitement of being your own boss and running your own business that is shadowed out by the fear and anxiety of the thought of failing or even succeeding in something new.

This is the feeling of what it is like to live like with your foot on the brake pedal.

It’s obviously a scary state of mind to be in when you’re stepping way out of your normal comfort zone, a place in which you are familiar and safe with. Who would want to leave here, right?

Wrong! “Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.”

How You Can Overcome Fear and Anxiety While Taking Your Foot Off The Brake!

First things first, become one with your fear and don’t treat it like an abnormality. Fear is a completely healthy and normal emotion, the problem lies when you let fear take control over you when you should always be the one in control of it. For example, a few years back I was on the path to getting my airplane pilot license and my instructor told me something that has stuck with me since, “As a pilot, you always want to have a little bit of fear. The day you have no fear, you are going to make some costly mistakes.”

With that being said, establish the notion that you must conquer your fear. Notice it, confront it, and visualize ways that you can reduce that fear into something you can control. This could come in many different ways such as gaining more knowledge and training or locating a group of like-minded people looking to accomplish similar goals.

Secondly, a large factor of this self sabotage is due to anxiety. A quick search on Wikipedia offers, “Anxiety is a worry about future events and fear is a reaction to current events.”

Throughout life, I found myself contemplating and making an association between the goals that we held closely to our hearts and how they were actually the triggers for anxiety. Most often, questions pop up without notice asking, “What if I fail?” or “What if I make a mistake?” causing a deep wave of anxiety especially for many of the newer investors just starting out.

How Can You Overcome It?:

Recognize and own your trigger;

• Take the time to reflect and follow up with a plan of action to conquering your fears and anxiety;
• Take action on your plan!

Remember, you are never alone. Many people empathize with you and have been caught in the place in their lives where they were also driving through life with half of their foot on the brake pedal. But as Rose Kennedy says best, “No comprehension or learning can take place in an atmosphere of anxiety.”

CTTO Article Source: www.biggerpockets.com