There are as many fears as there are people in the world. Fear of flying, fear of driving, fear of dogs, fear of cats and even a fear of styrofoam! Fear is an emotion which discourages, hinders or stops us from living victorious lives! That is it's only purpose.
Every fear wears a mask. It does not want us to see its true face. If we did, then it would cease to exist! Please do not confuse fear with common sense. Common sense is attained through our lives by trial and error. It acts like a safety trigger on a gun to protect us from harm. What I am talking about is fear of the unknown. It's a small inner voice that whispers, "What if?" What if I fail? What if I do not succeed? What if I make too much money and I don't know how to handle it with my family? What if he or she isn't the right one? What if...What if! Sound familiar? Our biggest fear is failure. It is linked to embarrassment,incompetence, feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. The opposite of attainment,accomplishment and acceptance. Fear loves to hide in our subconscious. Left to it's own devices, it can build an impregnable fortress in our mind. Like a professional thief it steals our hopes and dreams. It robs us of possible relationships, new ventures and our health. All because we fail to answer the question, "what if."
The remedy? Answer the question! Did you know that all successful relationships have had enormous failures? New business ventures fail everyday? But in order to succeed one must fail. Let me repeat this. In order to Succeed, one MUST fail! Why? Because failure is the stepping stone to all learning! Below is an example of one man's desire to succeed.
> Failed in business at age 31.
> Was defeated in a legislative race at age 32.
> Failed again in business at age 34.
> Overcame death of sweetheart at age 35.
> Had a nervous breakdown at age 36.
> Lost an election at age 38.
> Lost a congressional race at ages 43,46,48.
> Lost a Senatorial race at age 55.
> Failed to become Vice President at age 56.
> Lost a Senatorial race at age 58.
> Was Elected President of the United States at age 60.
This was Abraham Lincoln. The fear of failure is simply the process of learning! What happened when you first rode a bike? Did you fall? I did many times! Did you say, "that's it! I am never getting on that thing again!" Of course not. Failure is a main ingredient in learning any new task. It is our teacher. Expect to fail in your marriage, business, playing a new instrument or anything you invest your heart in. I am not asking you to set out to fail. Asking questions,working hard and being careful will reduce the probability of failure, but expect a visit!
Answer the "what if" question today! Understand the origin of your fear you will understand yourself. That is Success!

Author's Bio: 

David is an actor,singer,director and artist. He lives with his family in Michigan.
He would like to thank his friend Jeff for inspiring him to write this particular article.