We are afraid of many things we do not realize we are afraid of. The only noticeable reaction that we have from the fear is the urge not to do something (in this I am not describing the overwhelming fears). Say your spouse comes and asks “lets do a budget” and you immediately say no and give several reasons how it would not be helpful. Then later you think about your reaction and wonder why you said those things, none of them made any logical sense. There is a good chance this was driven by fear, fear is not logical and it can immediately pop up to derail your actions. Fear is good but have to be able to work through some of them in your life to make progress.
If you encounter a situation that in hind site your reaction made no sense, ask yourself if you are afraid of something. Then take a sheet of paper out and start brainstorming the specific things you are afraid of. For instance, one of the fears many have over starting a budget is they think they cannot ever have fun again. Then next each fear write how you can work around that fear like putting some money in the budget to “have fun”. Some of our fears will not be overcome with reasoning and we just have to work through them. The simple act of identifying your fears will help you take more action.
Summary:
- Identify the fear
- Write down the fear
Another type of fear is one we typically face in our job. We know that there is a better way to do something but we are afraid to speak up because we do not want to lose our job. A couple of reasons we have this fear is we will not be able to pay our bills and we will not be able to get another job. I know this is easier said than done but living with fear especially fear that keeps you from doing the right thing is extremely debilitating and you cannot keep this up and live a good life. The first step is to get yourself in a financial situation that allows you to be comfortable for a short amount of time if you were to lose your job like a 3-6 month emergency fund. Second, is to reduce your bills by reducing your debt and avoid spending on things you really do not need. Third, is to best understand what you are good at so if you were to lose your job you will be ready to find an employer that appreciates your willingness to stand up to them for the benefit of the customer and tell them how you can help them with your abilities.
Summary:
- Emergency fund
- Reduce bills
- Know what you are good at