Fear is a common and entirely normal emotion that many people face in their daily lives. Our emotions live on a spectrum. There are emotions that are “love-based,” and there are emotions that are “fear-based.” Examples of love-based emotions are joy, peace, and love. Examples of fear-based emotions include sadness, loneliness, and fear. Although many people associate love-based emotions as being “good” and fear-based emotions as being “bad,” Inner Matrix Systems CEO Joey Klein recommends thinking of emotions as either “aligned” or “not aligned” with what we want to create in our lives.
Using Fear As a Motivator
Fear is an emotion that can inhibit or drive us. Oftentimes, when we try something new or unfamiliar, our brain releases a hormone that sends us into “fight or flight” because evolutionarily, it was required to be wary of interruptions to the “status quo” as a form of protection.
But in our modern society, very rarely are we in any true danger, and therefore this “fight or flight” response can keep us from doing something that would be beneficial. Understanding that this is how our brain works, it’s important to feel fear and take action anyway to do the thing that will get us to the outcome we name.
In the instances where you feel fear, Klein suggests that you take a moment to focus on the vision and outcome you’ve named for yourself. Is the thing you’re doing at that moment, even if fear is present, going to take you towards that outcome or away from it? If it will take you towards the outcome, feel the fear and take action anyway.
A common example of this in practice would be getting nervous before a big presentation at work. If you listen to that fear response and decide not to give the presentation and do something else, that might mean you get fired or lose out on a promotion. If you instead feel that fear and focus on the outcome you want (a successful presentation or maybe a promotion), you’ll see that doing the presentation takes you towards the outcome you named.
How To Redirect to a Love-Based State
Many high-achievers such as executives and professional athletes often believe that fear is what drove them to their success. While fear can be used to motivate and drive towards an outcome, it should be used as the exception and not the rule. Aligning with a love-based emotion to drive outcomes will not only make it a better experience but will also be more fulfilling in the end.
It’s important to shift our emotion to something love-based (inspiration, passion, power) so that we don’t get stuck with fear driving us. Klein recommends that when you notice you are in a fear-based state, use your breath to center yourself and relax. A few deep breaths can turn off the fight or flight mechanism in your brain and allow you to redirect yourself to a love-based emotion. Consistent meditation and inner training practices can help you to access love-based states more easily and call upon them when you are feeling fearful.
Interesting research out of MIT, which was first designed to illustrate that humans — contrary to popular belief — cannot multitask, demonstrates we can take specific actions to redirect fear by choosing to focus on something else. Utilizing meditation/inner training practices, shift your focus to what actions you can take that align with your vision. Even if you don’t necessarily feel a love-based state emerge at that moment, ask yourself, “If I was feeling inspired at this moment, what would I do?”. This practice will help you access new love-based emotions that will help to drive towards an outcome you’ve named.
About Inner Matrix Systems
Inner Matrix Systems, based in Denver, is a personal mastery training system for high achievers. For more than twenty years, IMS has delivered a proprietary methodology that rewires, trains, and aligns the nervous system, emotions, and thought strategies to create real-life results. CEO, Joey Klein, and IMS have worked with more than 80,000 individuals from around the world through both live and online training programs, as well as one-on-one coaching. Clients have included: Boeing, IBM, Dell, Google, Panda Express, Coca Cola and The World Health Organization. Joey is the author of The Inner Matrix: Leveraging the Art & Science of Personal Mastery to Create Real-Life Results (June 2021).