Often people don't take risks because of fear of rejection, judgment, failing, making a mistake, being wrong, or fear of the outcome not being as expected or afraid of how things might turn out.

Yet taking a gamble is how to overcome worries, indecision's, and problems and transmute them into love, healing, action, and possibilities.

What are your fears?

Making decisions?
Being hurt?
Asserting yourself?
Intimacy?
Being wrong?
Changing jobs?
Being alone?
Aging or dying?
Ending a relationship or staring a new one?
Being judged or not being right?
Public speaking?
The future?

Perhaps it's one of the above, or a few of them, or something else altogether. Either way, you are not alone.

We have all experienced fear at one time or another in our lives and in one form or another.

Fear can be one of the greatest debilitators or teachers depending on how you choose to see and be with it.

Are you listening to mind chatter like I can't do this, I can't handle this, I don't know what to do or what will happen if I do do this?

Then you might make excuses like I'm too tired, I don't have enough time, I don't have the money, I don't have the experience, now is not the right time, etc. for why you can't do something.

Fear is not the problem; the way you are interpreting and handling it is.

You might look at it as this awful "thing" as if it's outside of yourself, or caused by someone or something. Yet when you face your fears by knowing they are your thoughts, you are stepping into life instead of turning your back on it.

Pay attention to your fears. They are telling you a lot about yourself and why you are where you are, as well as what needs to change for you to move through them and move forward in the direction you would like to go.

You will build confidence in your abilities, decision making, trusting your intuition, and yourself when you take risks.

Begin by listening to your vocabulary. Is there a feeling of powerless or empowerment in the words you are choosing? You can choose what you want to hear. Here are a few examples to illustrate the two:

I should...I could
I can't...I can
It's not my fault...I'm 100% responsible
Problem...Possibility
Life is painful...Life is peaceful
If only...At this point in time
I hope...I know

Become aware of the excuses. The more you acknowledge what's holding you back and keeping you stuck the easier it is to make changes.

So how can you overcome fears? By taking risks.

You will never know unless you take a chance at love, life, a career, a decision, a new way of being. What's the worst that can happen? You learn something new about yourself, or what works or doesn't work for you.

When you observe your fears by listening to your thoughts and excuses, and by taking chances you are elevating your thinking, expanding your comfort zone, and increasing your opportunities and confidence.

Many people stay locked in unhappy and unsatisfactory situations that no longer work for them because they are afraid of what will happen if they take a risk.

If you don't make mistakes or take chances, how will you know what to correct or change, or whether you are heading in the right direction?

Fear is beneficial because it lets you see what is holding you back, or keeping you from doing and having what you say you want to have or be. The question is, do you really want what you are saying you want?

When you move with and through apprehensions, you are opening to clarity and insights, and saying "Yes" to the great mysteries and miracles in life.

The next time you are afraid to try something new, make a decision, or take a risk, remember what Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "You have nothing to fear but fear itself".

You can stay stuck in fear or you can overcome and transform it by taking risks, the choice is yours.

Find out how the Insight Technique can assist you in understanding, and gaining insights into your fears and transforming them with clarity and choice.