Children are not afraid to dream big and set spectacular goals like being an astronaut, becoming a tooth fairy or marrying a prince and it’s not an attack on their self-worth if they don’t get to accomplish it.

As we grow up our world get smaller and smaller the more rules and limiting beliefs we subconsciously operate our lives within. Big dreams get replaced with ‘what if’s’ and all the varying forms of fear that go along with it – Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of being judged, fear of not being good enough etc.

Adult self-image is a unique collection of experiences, attitudes and opinions we have been told by others then held in our subconscious. If you had a different set of experiences, your beliefs would be completely different.

A limiting belief is any belief that hinders your potential growth in life. It’s your view of the world and you hold it to be true.

The great news is that you can challenge your limiting beliefs by changing your perception. It all comes down to how you look at things and how you choose to react to them.

Have you ever noticed the similarities between fear and excitement? They are in fact one and the same. Your perception shapes your experience.

The mind is a wonderful thing. It is through the subconscious mind that the same experience for one person may be gut-wrenchingly fearsome, and for another, an absolutely exhilarating thrill.

One child might perceive starting school to be a scary situation where as the next child perceives it as exciting. Their bodies are experiencing the exact same physiological responses in the form of fast heart rate, nervous jitters, buzzing energy. It’s their beliefs that shape their perception.

The adrenaline that courses through your body when you’re scared is the same adrenaline that courses through your body when you’re excited.

‘Fear is excitement without breath!’

Ultimately we choose how to approach life’s experiences and challenges, and we choose how to interpret what is happening to us. We may decide that what stands before us will be fun, or we may decide that it will be stressful and scary. It’s about using you mind consciously, to override the programmed response that is held by your subconscious mind (the automatic you).

Quick tips to move past fear

• Change your perception and you change your life.
• Overthinking everything accomplishes nothing. The solution?  Stop thinking and start doing.
• What is seriously the worst that could happen? Do you really have anything to be afraid of?
• Everyone feels fear. Some people just hide it better or don’t admit it.
• Being brave builds muscle – the more you do it the easier it gets.
• There are no failures only lessons.