Everyone at one time or another struggles with fear in their own way. Fear has a way of controlling your thoughts and decisions. Caution is not a bad thing, but when your caution keeps you from doing wonderful things, it's too much. Being able to put fear in its place is something you must do to properly make decisions. Here are a few reasons that fear is not something you should let control you and how you can recognize if it does.

1. Decisions you make will be made with the fear of not being perfect.

Sometimes the risks we take don’t turn out well. But that is a possibility we have when we take those risks. Not everything in life will always turn out the way we plan. In fact, most things probably won’t. That doesn’t mean it has to be bad, just different than what we expected. Nobody is perfect, and it’s hard to realize that when society is constantly telling us, we have to be.

2. You settle for things you probably could do better than.

This can apply to many aspects of life, to a job, a relationship, friendships, really anything. Maybe you’re too scared to go after your dream job, so you settle for your regular job. You’re afraid that if you leave your current relationship, you’ll never find someone you really need. Or those friends that you don’t really get along with, but are too afraid to move away from because you think no one else will accept you.

3. You say no to things out of fear that your risks won’t turn out right.

Sometimes life gives you amazing opportunities that can change your life forever. They can be scary and intimidating. Part of life is being able to say yes or no and because of fear, you can find yourself saying no way too much. It may take you bravely saying yes, to get to where you want to be.

4. You say yes because you don’t want to disappoint people.

You know that night you had planned to spend watching Netflix in bed? Seriously, you’ve waited all week just to have some time for yourself and to relax. Sometimes you might find yourself giving up on that because your friends want to do something, and you’re afraid that if you say no, they’ll resent you. The reality is, your friends probably don’t mind if you take some time for yourself. You should be able not to do anything without worry.

5. You procrastinate from making the big decisions.

When big decisions need to be made, it can be easier just to put them off until the last second. But everyone knows that although you might be procrastinating, it’s always on your mind. You might be convincing yourself that you’re not worried, but that anxiety is always in the back of your mind, keeping you up at night and making it even harder to make a decision. That isn’t a healthy way to live. Although decisions might be uncomfortable to make, it is more gratifying when you can make the decision and be done with it.

6. You feel stuck in your fear, unable to get past it and unable to experience everything life has for you.

When fear holds you back, you can be kept from making the hard decisions that could alter your life entirely. Some of your best experiences can come from those nerve-racking decisions that you thought were too big to risk.

7. There’s nothing more exhilarating than when you take risks and they work out for you.

Although it’s scary, when risks work out the way you had planned, you’ll realize that sometimes it worth it.

Ways You Can Help Yourselves:

1. Taking time to weigh your decisions, without procrastination and fear.
2. Not allowing yourself to dwell on every single negative outcome.
3. Being able to say yes and no, whatever is right for you.
4. Not settling.
5. Letting yourself take risks, even if it’s a little scary.