--- title: The Year to Manage your Fear description: We all face fear in our professional and personal lives. We fear bucking the trend and going against the accepted. To truly achieve greatness, you must be a pioneer, a rebel, an instigator. image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hub/413105/file-2302438155.gif --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-year-to-manage-your-fear#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # The Year to Manage your Fear January 5th, 2015 2 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hub/413105/file-2302438155.gif/angled-cover_large.gif.gif?width=319&height=480&name=angled-cover_large.gif.gif) We all face fear in our professional and personal lives. Fear of the strange, of the new, of the untested. We fear bucking the trend and going against the accepted. It's a natural human response. To truly achieve greatness in the form of personal fulfillment, you must act. That might mean you are a pioneer, a rebel, an instigator. You may need to challenge the status quo and make a difference in the world. Yes, you might fail. You could even fail spectacularly. But a fear of failure is not a reason to sit in front of the television all evening instead of working on that project that’s burning away in your gut. ### 2015: The Year to Manage your Fear This is the year to get out there! Make a decision right now to make it happen. Start that business. Begin that blog or YouTube channel. Learn to surf. Write a book. When you are reluctant, instead of not starting at all or quitting before you give it a chance, manage your fear. Analyze your hesitancy. Why are you fearful? ### **The Many Manifestations of Fear:** *Fear of looking silly.* *Fear that if you put yourself out there, acting on your dream, that people will say negative things about you.  * *Fear that if you don’t have an MBA or whatever degree is deemed important to the gatekeepers in your world, you don’t have the qualification to act.* *Fear that makes you sell your products and services in the way that you’ve always done (like cold calling).* *Fear that giving away your best content for free won’t benefit you.* *Fear that competition knows more than you do, resulting in you copying their moves.* *Fear that something won’t work in your industry, or your geography, or your company, or with your customers.* *Fear of new marketing strategies resulting insistence on calculating the ROI of something before you try it.* *Fear that you will never be physically fit enough.* ### Your New Mindset This is the year to challenge yourself to do something new. It’s the time to do that thing you’ve always wanted to do. Get fit, create a blog, start a business, learn a new skill, change employers, become self-employed. I've talked with people all over the world who are struggling. They tell me the road to success often starts with understanding just how severely conventional methods can handicap your business, your career, and your personal life. ### Now It's Your Turn ![angled-cover_large](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hub/413105/file-2302438155.gif?width=194&name=file-2302438155.gif)You can do it. It doesn't matter what line of work you're in or what group of buyers you're trying to reach or what you want to accomplish. If you're like many people I meet, you have colleagues or family members who will argue with you. They will say you’re not up to it or your ideas won’t work.   But you know they’re wrong because you’ve managed your fear. Go on. Get out there and make it happen! For much more on this subject, check out Seth Godin’s new book [What to do when it’s your turn (and it’s always your turn).](http://www.yourturn.link) I loved this book and can highly recommend it. I’ve got a spare copy I’ll happily send to the first person to ask via a comment on this blog post.* (UPDATE: Sorry, the book is spoken for).* [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. 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