Fighting The Three-Headed Dragon Of Fear

“Courage is to never let your actions be influenced by your fears.” - Arthur Koestler

I have said it before and will again - and again, and again - success takes courage.  Some people think that the successful have had an easy way of things and that they never really have to work.  It is that old idea that people want to start their own business so they can travel when they want and work as much as they want.  Reality is, the self-employed do not get vacations, they work longer hours than they ever did working for someone else and yet they have the most satisfaction.

                I believe that self-employment is the way of the future.  Oh, I know that now it seems that the small business person is punished more than rewarded, however, that will change.  It will also take courage to change it.

                If you are a success-minded person who is on the great quest for your dream, think of yourself as a warrior rather than a worker.  You are on a magical journey that leads to great treasure and reward.  You will however fight many battles on the way and there are dangers that you have not faced before.  The greatest of these dangers is a three-headed dragon called fear.

                This is a fierce and viscous dragon with deadly poison in its fangs and a deafening roar.  It is the duty of the great warrior to slay the dragon by cutting of each head, one by one.  It is only dead when all three heads are gone.  Your weapon is knowledge and courage.  Once you have identified the head and stood up to it, it dies and falls off.  Here are the heads you must face:

The Fear Of Failure

                Few things are more effective to stop a person from achieving their dreams than the fear that they will fail.  Fear of failing can be so great than most never even attempt to go for their dreams.  Success-minded people know that if you know your dream and have discovered your purpose, there is no failing.  It will be difficult.  It will take much work and diligence.  It will even have its fair share of setbacks, however, you cannot fail at what you were created to do.  It is the courage to accept your destiny and refuse to settle for anything less that will kill the head of the dragon.

The fear Of What People Think

                The former CEO of GE, Jack Welch said, "Control your destiny or someone else will."  That is what happens when we fear what people think about us.  We hand over control of our life and allow them to tell us what we can and cannot achieve.  That is a sorry state of affairs for any person.  No one knows the real purpose of your life; your true dream but you.  Never allow someone else, no matter how much you care and respect them, to tell you what to do with your life.  It is having the courage to stand alone if you need to, but you make the decision for your life.  It is the courage to believe in yourself that will kill the second head of the dragon.

The Fear Of too Much Effort

                As soon as you ask yourself, "Am I willing to do all this work?" you know you are in trouble.  It is one thing to fight a battle and loose, and another to just surrender without a fight.  Here is the one thing you need to understand from the start, it will be a lot of work.  There is no easy way; no short cuts or magic formulas.  Success-minded people know that if they are to succeed at anything in life, they must be willing to put forth the effort, all the effort, to achieve it.  It is the courage to do the hard work and never give up that kills the third head of the dragon.

                Now that the beast is dead you can move forward and conquer the treasures of success.  You may be a bit battered and bruised, but warriors get that way at times.  The thing to remember is that the victory is yours and so is the dream.  Do not allow fears to keep you from that which you were created to do.  The world needs you and your courage.  You may just be the one to change it all.  I do believe in you and I am excited that the quest has begun.

To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2013 John Patrick Hickey