Fear of the Unknown
How many times have you stopped yourself from moving beyond what is no longer working for you because you had no idea what the future would look like…and that fear of the unknown was worse than staying where you were?
It can be terrifying to think about making a change in your life without any information about what that change might look like or know how it could impact your life. Moving ahead into your Nxt without being able to picture it or define it in any way, can be simply too daunting, too scary, and too unnerving to handle. Nobody likes walking blindly into an abyss.
We like to see where we are going. We want to know how things will work. We want to know what things will look like, and feel like, as we step into the Nxt situation in our lives.
Fear of the unknown is a way for you to stay where you are. It acts like blinders that stop you from seeing not only what you know is real and true now, but the possibilities of something new that could make things better. Stepping forward into something new takes a willingness to change your perspective from what you know in your current reality, toward the possibilities of what your future can be.
It’s like turning your head to look in a different direction.
When working with my clients, I often ask them to point into the distance where they think they are moving toward. Sometimes they point straight ahead or at an angle in front of them. Sometimes they point straight down (which ends up being a whole other conversation). Sometimes they look back and acknowledge that they aren’t moving forward at all. Once they point to where they think they are headed, I’ll ask them to physically turn their body to look in a slightly different direction. Just that minor adjustment from where they have been currently looking, to looking in another direction, often helps them begin to open up to other possibilities. It allows them to look at their future path in a slightly different way. Usually with a slightly new perspective.
To break through the fear of the unknown requires information and clarification. Begin with what is important to you.
If you are struggling with whether you are in the right job, make a list of the 5 most important things that you would require in a new job.
Here’s an example:
Working in a team where you can mentor, advise and lead your teammates.
Learn new skills and be challenged to push yourself.
Have some flexibility in your work schedule to be able to do more personal activities.
Have access to a mentor at work for so that you can grow professionally.
Work in a position where you can utilize your strengths and thrive financially.
Once you know what is important to you, the unknown begins to disappear as you become clearer about what direction(s) you might want to explore further. Knowing what is important to you provides you with some basic, yet crucial information to be able to move forward.
Facing your fear of the unknown is the act of ripping off your blindfold to see what’s most important to you. You may still have questions and you may still need to do a lot more exploration into what lies ahead, but you won’t have a fear of the unknown stopping you from moving into your Nxt.
