Fear. It’s what holds so many of us back from doing the things we truly want to do.  Fear signals that we are outside of our comfort zone and it’s meant to protect you (because yeah, you could get hurt chasing your dreams). But your fear can only see the danger, it can’t see how much you have to gain. That’s our job to see.  Instead of letting our fears cripple us, we should view them as a natural part of the journey to becoming our best selves.  Once we do, then we can use fear as our compass to guide us in the right direction.

Acknowledge Your Fear
The first step to letting fear be your guide is to acknowledge it. Don’t deny it or hide from it.  It’s there for a reason, so ask yourself why.

What Type of Fear?
Sometimes fears are real and valid—ie: the fear of get eaten by a tiger you've encountered. But most of the time in this modern world, the fears we feel are not deadly and they come from another place within. Ask yourself if this fear is rooted in your own insecurities or self-doubts (ie: fear of failure, fear of criticism, etc). If it is, then you should pay attention to it.  Take it as a gift and a guide to where you need to go.

Let Fear Be Your Guide
See fear as an indicator—it tells us what we have to do. A general rule of thumb: the more scared we are of doing something, the more we have to do it. The things that scare us the most are the things that mean the most to us. Those are the things that enable us to grow the most into fulfilling our potential.

Feel the Fear, and Do It Anyway
Fear is not going to go away; it will always be present as long as we have boundaries of what is comfortable and uncomfortable for us. Acknowledging that fear and going for it anyway will empower yourself to become better. It's supposed to feel super uncomfortable; it’s stretching yourself to grow.

It's okay to be scared or nervous. What's important is that you take the action and actually go through with it. Don't let fear hold you back; instead, let fear be your guide. Let it take you to those places where you've always wanted to go but were too afraid to. Let it take you to achieve things that you thought were impossible, because once you do them, you will be so empowered to continue to do that and eventually develop into your best self.