Fear -- Go Toward It
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To me, there are two inextricable components of success in job search and career change: mechanics and mindset. What you do and how you feel about it. The mechanics are what we usually focus on -- networking, resume writing, research, interviewing, and so on. They are definitely important, and definitely need to be done in the best possible way.

But mindset is often the factor that really makes or breaks. And the big kahuna of all mindset issues is FEAR. It comes in many different forms: fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of what others will think, fear of failing on the new job, fear of losing things you had before, even fear of succeeding.... Anything on this list sound familiar?

One problem with fear is that it's slippery -- easy to try to ignore, hard to grasp, often shows up in other forms (such as bravado or irritability). Another problem is most of us have a long history of habitual reactions to our fears, and these habits are hard to break.

Here's the thing: If you fall prey to fear (consciously or subconsciously), there all kinds of negative outcomes, such as delay, mistakes, inertia, and inability to present yourself well, or (much worse) paralysis and self-sabotage.

If, however, you harness and confront fear, it can work to your advantage, helping you do things like prepare extensively, complete tasks efficiently, pay attention to details, and focus intently. Longer term, it can lead you to areas out of your comfort zone, allowing you to spread your wings and grow. Ultimately, the fear can become something you conquered -- the trophy prize -- your proof that it was a construct of your mind, not a reality.

The keys are to:

1. Identify and name the fear that is haranguing you
2. Walk toward the thing that's stirring up the fear (instead of avoiding it)
3. Ask for help as needed
4. Pursue what you're after (with fear by your side)
5. Repeat

Are there any areas in your life or work where you can go toward the fear?