Fear peddling is unfortunately very common place today as a sales tactic (honestly has probably been around for quite awhile). Working to get you to fear something or some idea to get you to riled up to vote against a group or but some product you need to live is manipulative and ultimately destructive. This is the wrong way to use fear. You should not be causing people more fear, this life is already unpredictable enough.
How fear should be used is through personal reflection. Reflection on what it is you fear now and why you fear it. There are many things we may fear that after some consideration and ignorance cleansing (education) we can just no longer fear that thing. Other times fear is a gauge for what we need to do to grow as people. This type of fear is usually accompanied with a desire, some sort of goal that you wish to achieve. For example before I finally went and started BJJ I feared the new social environment and also the uncertainty around what it means to start a martial art.
When you sense this type of fear in yourself instead of running from it, use it as a guide on what you should do to help yourself grow. For my earlier example by just going and starting BJJ I found out that it was actually a very welcoming environment. Immediately my main fear was alleviated and I was able to just focus on learning this new skill. This can be applied to any type of fear around a skill. For example if you are wanting to get funding for a business venture than you might need to work on any fear you have around public speaking.
Following your fear is of course difficult as it is by definition pushing you out of your comfort zone. As you start to do this more you begin to find it easier to take on bigger fears which at the very least helps you grow as a person. For me I have found that I have been able to get over all of these little things that used to hold me back. It used to be hard for me to share my work and now I am excited to see what people have to say about my writing or whatever I happen to be working on.
This isn’t something that happens overnight so you need to give yourself time to adjust as you start taking on bigger and bigger fears. Each fear also likely needs some extended attention before you fully conquer it. Slowly chipping away at a fear through regular exposure can be a great way to get a foothold and start to feel comfortable with the thing that used to scare you. Removing fears from your life just increases your ability to do hard things.
So in conclusion fear surrounding a goal is likely the exact thing that you need to learn how to take on. It will be hard and that is the very thing that helps you grow. Fear can be used as a guide on how to be better and grow.
Let me know how you have used fear to grow as a person or how you are planning on using it in the future. Follow my blog for updates on when new posts go live.