Taking The First Steps: 3 Tips To Overcome Your Fear of Trying Something New

See that bridge? I don't remember the exact year, but I remember the distinct feeling of standing at the edge of the platform on that bridge over the Zambezi river in Zambia getting ready to bungee jump. My feet were tingling with fright from the massive valley and rushing water below, and the red towels wrapped around my ankles to protect them from the bungee cord didn't feel very reassuring.

I had watched the people before me. Some gracefully leapt, doing the most inspiring dives through the air, while others were pushed off the platform and flailed mercilessly.

I didn't want to flail.

When it was my turn I was almost overtaken by fear, but as the team on the platform called out “three, two, one, bungee…”, I knew if I didn't jump I would be pushed. And I. Would. Flail.

So I did it. I jumped and I extended my arms out wide and I dove. I weightlessly fell through the air and I laughed and screamed with joy until I reached the end of the cord, and then to my surprise, instead of a hard snapping recoil, I gracefully began to lift back into the air, over and over again until the momentum was over and I was softly hoisted back to the platform.

Trying something new can create paralyzing fear. For each of us our comfort zones are wildly different, but the common factor is that we all tend to linger in it, because it is, well, comfortable. The problem is, that if you continually circle this same zone of comfort, you never offer yourself the opportunity to see what you’re fully capable of. Too often, the limits that we find ourselves surrounded by have been blindly self created.

Instead of waiting to be pushed and deciding whether to jump gracefully or flail, here are three steps you can take to begin to overcome your fear of trying something new, so you're prepared to swan dive at a moments notice.

Number One: Do it with a friend

Often when you are really afraid of something, simply having someone to help you through the experience can be enough to get you through. Bonus for sharing in the experience with someone that you trust who has done it before! Even though I was alone on that platform, there was a group of us jumping, including my son, so I was all in.

Number Two: Focus on the fun

You are usually motivated to try something new because it sounds fun, but then the fear creeps in and suddenly the fun part escapes you. Make a conscious effort to bring your awareness back to focus on the elements of fun and remember why you wanted to try it in the first place!

Number Three: Don’t be afraid of failure…or success!

Fear of failure is real and may be the most common thing that holds you back. It’s the thing that holds most people back. But all successful people fail, and they fail many, many times. Failure is a huge teacher. When you try something new, you may not succeed the first time you try and that is perfectly natural. I would actually prefer to simply call it learning.

As you take on new endeavors, baby steps are necessary, you must crawl before you can walk, and then one day, without even realizing it, it’s not new anymore. You’re gracefully floating through the air, smiling and laughing.

So go grab a friend, remember why it’s fun, and try something new!