Developing a Gallant Mindset
There is no doubt that fear kills more dreams than anything else, but even more, it keeps us from living our best life. It takes courage to step outside of your comfort zone and try new things.
Fear can steal your goals and dreams right from you because it creeps in and causes you to doubt your abilities, which zaps your confidence, and ultimately distracts you from opportunities.
A gallant mindset can help you overcome the fears that keep you from growing and living a fulfilled life.
First, let’s recognize that fear is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a protection measure to help keep you safe by warning you of danger. The problem is that fears are created in your mind based on information you have received in your lifetime from various sources. Here’s the deal, this data is not always true.
Let’s look at a made-up example to make our point; one of your parents took a chance at opening their own business and it failed. Since you were young, the only thing you have heard about being a business owner has been negative. Fast forward, and you could open a business that makes perfect sense for you and what you want to do. In this scenario, you have real fears from the data that has been programmed into your mind since early in your life. The negative self-talk kicks in. (Remember, fear is meant to protect you!) Every negative thing your parents have ever shared with you about being a business owner floods your mind, and now you’re paralyzed with fear. It stops you in your tracks. The real problem with fear, is it can be a liar. We must allow fear to do its job and hold us accountable for doing our due diligence and weighing the pros and cons to help us determine if something is a good idea, but we can’t let it be the only determining factor. In fact, if fear of failure is the only good reason you can come up with when going after the life you desire, your only option is to go for it!
Let’s get back to developing a gallant mindset. Being gallant means that you show courage, and you are brave. The more gallant you are, the less likely you will be at allowing imaginary fears to keep you from taking the risks necessary to get where you want to be in life.
The key to kicking fear of failure to the curb, is a gallant mindset!
We found there are three important things you can do to be more gallant so you can achieve the goals and dreams you desire and live the most fulfilled life possible. We wanted to share them with you.
“Three Important Things You Can Do to Be More Gallant!”
1.Do hard things –
Growth only happens outside of your comfort zone. When you push your limits and do things that challenge you, the tasks don’t get easier, you get stronger! Our brain is a funny thing. Its job is to keep you alive and comfortable, which is good. On the other hand, because it draws from past experiences to do this, it can give bad information. Your brain only knows what it knows, so to speak. It’s left up to you to program different information. Every time you do something harder than you’ve done before, it lets your brain know that you survived, and you can do it. It will draw on this perspective the next time you try something difficult, and the same task will seem a little easier than before. The same is true if you never do something hard. Your brain will draw from that and constantly remind you that you can’t do it. Remember, your brains main job is to keep you alive and comfortable. So, if it thinks you are in danger or something will harm you, it is going to work to convince you not to do it. This is how fear sneaks in. It’s up to you to make yourself do hard things and train your brain that you are always capable of more!
2.Do an evaluation –
When you are faced with a risky endeavor to continue your path of success, fear won’t just creep in, it will flood your mind with all kinds of scenarios. The only way to overcome the temptation of making your decision based on fear is to do a complete evaluation of the situation. When you are faced with a risky decision, it’s natural to focus on your shortcomings, but you must focus on your strengths in these situations. Consider the outcome upfront, and ask yourself, what’s the worst thing that can happen? Usually, the worst thing that can happen is often minimal compared to the success you could gain by taking the risk. Think of how you will handle each possible thing that could happen and draw on your past experiences to help you make the best decision. Finally, go for the old fashion list of pros and cons. Write it all out and compare the benefits verses the loss. Whatever you do, work at making tough decisions based on truth and reality. Don’t allow your mind to succumb to fear if that’s the only thing holding you back.
3.Do seek wisdom –
This is so important and something most of us tend to forget. Wisdom will help you escape tough situations you encounter with very little or no loss at all. There is so much wisdom to gain with no possible way you could ever have it all, but your goal should always be to seek it out and gain more. When you learn something new, it motivates you to act. Albeit there is no greater teacher than experience, the next best thing is someone who has already walked down the path you are about to. There are people who have done whatever it is you are doing, so why wouldn’t you want to seek out advice from these individuals. The more you know, the more confidence and courage you will have to make the tough decisions you face in your life. The most important thing to remember about wisdom is that it doesn’t just fall on you, you must seek it out. If you seek wisdom, you will find it!
The emotion of fear can be a good thing when it comes to keeping you safe and alive. It is what drives you to run for your life when you’re being chased by a bear, and it can keep you from making erratic decisions that could be dangerous to your wellbeing. However, it can also be your biggest challenge when it comes to success. It can keep you from taking the risk necessary to get you to the next level. When you work on having a more gallant mindset, you will have more confidence and courage to make tough decisions when they arise. It takes hard work to move beyond your fears, but you can do it. When you make yourself do hard things, when you take the time to effectively evaluate situations and outcomes, and when you always seek out wisdom, you will strengthen your mindset and be more gallant.
Written By: Kim Martin, Founder of I’ve Decided, INC.