When fear creeps in, you become paralyzed. It causes doubt, delay and eventually leads to lack of action. Without action, nothing happens. Opportunities just come and go. Before you know it, time has already passed. All that’s left is regret.

When it comes to success, fear only becomes a great obstacle if you allow it to do so. If you think more deeply about it, you have the choice and the power to cultivate your thoughts and emotions. If you continue to cultivate fear, it becomes a source of many unpleasant consequences.

Here are the main reasons why fear hinders your way to success.

Fear invalidates hope

Never underestimate fear, for if it continues to reside within yourself, it will soon cripple your aspirations. Your very desire to succeed will appear dim. It becomes a major factor that influences your decisions. It may start as something small like being afraid to fail a test despite your best efforts. Eventually, you give up because your mind is already filled with “what ifs” and other negative thoughts. You have succumbed to the notion that no matter what you do, the outcome will be the same. You will still fail.

Fear breeds doubt

When it comes to fear, another thing to look out for is doubt. It makes you vulnerable. You begin to look at things in a negative light. You become pessimistic of the outcome of your actions. It makes you hesitate to make important decisions. You continue to delay important tasks and before you know it, fear has already transformed you. You have become a being that gladly welcomes procrastination.

It is like the worker who continues to put off his dream to run his own business because he is afraid that it would fail.

Fear alienates

When you are filled with fear, it is most likely that you become detached with certain things, events or people. Such response is formed because of the desire to get away from what is known to stimulate fear. This could come in different forms such as emotional detachment or social withdrawal.

Thus, if you continue to allow fear, the most likely you become unable to experience life with ultimate freedom. You will feel more restrained and therefore unable to pursue and do what it takes to achieve success.

Fear impedes growth

If there is one thing that fear detests, its growth. A person filled with fear becomes resistant to change. Without change, there is no room for growth. Take for example a man who wishes to become more fit and healthy but is too hesitant to make significant diet and lifestyle changes. Without doing anything, the goal of having a more fit and healthy body becomes less likely to be attained.

Fear makes you doubt any genuine feelings of gratitude and joy. It restrains your thoughts and emotions. There’s always that fear of what if in exchange for this moment of happiness, there’s always a sad or disappointing event that follows.

It makes you deflect positivity and instead, focuses on the negativity. It’s as if fear has put an invisible cover that blocks one’s perspective of life. So instead of seeing the full spectrum, you only get to see the darker sides.

Nonetheless, do not let fear take control. Instead of negating or hiding it, acknowledge that fear will always exist in our subconscious. What is important is to hone the ability to recognize fear and conquer it with courage. For it is courage that gives man the ability to act despite the presence of fear.