Afraid to take the first step? Beginning something new can be challenging. And a little scary. You may be heading out into an unknown future, leaving your comfort zone to grab a new opportunity or start a new life. The best way to beat the fear of the first step is to plan. Spend as much time as possible planning every step after so that the first step no longer feels like a leap of faith. 1) Identify the source of your fears Identify what is holding you back from taking action and analyze how well founded those fears are. The first step is often the most difficult. You may find that many of your fears reside only in your mind. 2) Don't ignore the red flags When psyching ourselves up to take the first step, we sometimes ignore red flags and then fail to plan for them. Being better prepared will reduce your chance of failure and boost your confidence for further action. 2) Plan for a retrospective analysis Sometimes, the fear of future-regret stops us from taking action in the present. Focus instead on the regret of inaction. Plan for a retrospective review in the future where you analyze your decision-making as a learning exercise.

1. Overcoming
Your Fear of the
First Step

2. Identify the source of your fears
Identify what is holding you back from taking action
and analyze how well founded those fears are.
The first step is often the most difficult. You may find
that many of your fears reside only in your mind.

3. Don't ignore the red flags
When psyching ourselves up to take the first step,
we sometimes ignore red flags and then fail to plan
for them.
Being better prepared will reduce your
chance of failure and boost your
confidence for further action.

4. Plan for a retrospective analysis
Sometimes, the fear of future-regret stops us from
taking action in the present. Focus instead on the
regret of inaction.
Plan for a retrospective review in the future where you
analyze your decision-making as a learning exercise.