Dont let your fears limit your personal freedom

Your personal freedom allows you to follow whatever path you choose. Not fully utilizing your freedom squanders success, while diverting you from your goal. Ironically, a surprising number of people erode their personal freedom through their own thoughts and actions. Freedom is generally thought of as freedom from oppression. Although you may live in a free country, are you oppressing yourself? This happens when you abandon goals by imposing limits on what you believe is possible. Although there are a number of factors which contribute to this phenomenon, they are all ultimately rooted in your mental outlook. When you believe something is possible, you are right. Conversely, when you believe something is impossible, you are also right. Negative self-talk, which delineates all that you cant or wont do, suppresses your personal freedom. You can recapture any lost personal freedom by altering your thinking patterns. Letting go of limiting behavior opens up wonderful new horizons filled with amazing potential. So lets take a look at how to identify and remove personal freedom obstructions. Fear of failure is a major limiting factor. Fear inhibits forward progress. You typically wont even attempt anything where you are afraid of failure. Since there are no guarantees in life, there is always the possibility that you wont get your expected results. However, this is not failure. Failure only occurs when you give up. So, have a commitment to never quit. When something doesnt work out as planned, make an adjustment before giving it another go. Success usually requires several attempts before its realized. Leaving your comfort zone is part of achieving your goals. Achieving goals is part of your personal freedom. Yet, there is often a fear of leaving your comfort zone. Therefore, you must follow your path in spite of any fears you may have. Worry limits your personal freedom by connecting to fear. You worry about that which you are afraid of. Worry is a fixation on worst case scenarios. There is a tendency to avoid anything you worry about. For example, you wont attend college if you are worried about failing. You wont start your own business if you are worried about going bankrupt. You wont buy a house if you are worried about maintenance. You can stop worrying by focusing on positive outcomes instead of all that could go wrong. If you want to go to school, consider all the resources available to help you pass each class. If you want your own business, concentrate on profit making strategies. If you want your own home, look for one which wont require a lot of maintenance. Worrying about what other people say, think, and do is also limiting. Concern about criticism influences your behavior. You will avoid saying or doing something you feel will elicit criticism or ridicule. Ignore what other people say, think, or do. What you say, think, and do is of paramount importance because it impacts your personal freedom. Dont allow your past to limit your freedom. This occurs when a bad experience interferes with your objectives. Just because something didnt work out as anticipated in the past doesnt mean it cant ever work. Many successful business people have overcome one or more business failures. Mistakes are part of the road to success. Not everything you do will turn out as planned. Mistakes limit your personal freedom when you dont learn from them. When something goes wrong, determine what when awry, and why. Then make the necessary adjustments so that the same mistake is not repeated. Guard and protect your personal freedom. It is a precious asset. Eliminate and avoid any behavior which limits your personal freedom.

NOW AVAILABLE: "Dare to Live Without Limits," the book. Visit http://www.BryanGolden.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at bryan@columnist.com or write him c/o this paper. 2019 Bryan Golden

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Dare to live without limits Week of 1/20/20 - Press Publications Inc.