Fear Worksheet - A Companion to 92,000 Hours Podcast
What are YOU afraid of? I don’t mean the simple stuff we can easily share with others - like fear of heights, or spiders. I mean the existential stuff. Underneath it all, what are you really afraid of? I’ve asked this question of my former students for over 15 years and I learned that once we open up (through the vulnerability and courage we’ve addressed in this blog), we share many of the same fears. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of becoming just like our parents, fear of letting our parents down, fear of rejection, fear of being unlovable, fear of being alone. The work of really identifying your fears - naming them, and saying them out loud, can provide you with the power you need (and already have within you) to overcome them.
Complete these sentences:
I’m afraid of: ____________________________________________________________
This fear is caused by: ______________________________________________________
As a result of not dealing with this fear, I am: ______________________________________
If I take constructive steps to address this fear: ____________________________________
Once you identify what fear is holding you back, you’ll have an easier time taking action to release it.
Doing this work can give you the tools you need to overcome your fears. But, we also know that mindset matters. What is your mindset when it comes to the things you fear? When you write down your answers above, do you really believe you can overcome these fears? Or do you really believe that you can’t?
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right.”
What are the mental models you have about yourself that are proving your own ideas about yourself right - because you think you can or you think you can’t?
Here’s a way to look at this issue. Complete this chart for yourself:
Mental Model Positive Negative
I’m the kind of person who: (ex:) is bad with numbers X
(ex:) keeps my word X
Complete this chart for yourself with at least 10 items. Then, take a look - how many of your mental models about yourself are positive? How many are negative? Are you giving yourself grace? When it comes to your mental models about yourself at work, what are they? Are they more positive than negative? Or more negative than positive?
I encourage you to take some time with this. Start with work. What are your own mental models about yourself at work. And even more to the point: what are your own mental models about the things you are AFRAID OF at work? Are they positive or negative? What actually led you to think this about yourself? Is that thinking valid? Are there things you can do to overcome this mental model?
This exercise is going to take some time. Give it yourself. Then step away and go back to it and see what you think.
The first step to overcoming our fears is naming them and understanding them. Over time, you can recognize fear as something that can be present, but not overwhelming or controlling.