Courage - How do you step from the top of a 100- foot building?

You are standing on top of a tall building, tall is maybe an understatement, its actually 100 foot in height which is equivalent to about 30 meters.  The view from the top of the 100 foot building is incredible, one can see for miles, everything below looks minute. You feel a sense of power, you are bigger than everything, but then reality sets in, your fear of heights begins to consume your being. Your breathing gets heavier, your breath shortens, your hands begin to sweat, your tummy starts to turn, your vision gets slightly blurred.

Deep breathes, count 1, 2, 3, inhale, exhale, you keep telling yourself I can do this, however doubt does cosume part of your thoughts. There are so many fears in life which one struggles to overcome whether it be your fear of heights, snakes, being alone, failure but the truth is, we will never ever be able to get over all of our fears. The good news is however that you can take small steps to overcome your fear even if it doesnt result in overcoming your fear entirely.

You compose yourself, positive thoughts outweigh the negatives, you look down from the 100 foot building, there is a safety net ready to catch you, but does that really count at this moment in time. 1, 2, 3 you jump.... your eyes are closed but suddenly you open them, you take in all that surrounds you, you are overcoming your fear. As you land in the safety net, you bounce up and down. You have conquered one of your fears, the adrenaline is rushing through your body, you cant stop smiling, giggling, you actually did it. Overcoming ones fears can definitely be an accomplishment which positively contributes to your self esteem and confidence.

Courage has been defined by the wordnetweb dictionary as "a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear." Children see their parents as being courageous, one who never shows fear and as a child you believe your parents can do anything, they are in fact your hero for the most part.

Henrik Edberg has put together a few tips of how to overcome your fears..

Face your fear to become stronger

By overcoming your fear, this will have a positive spin on your self

esteem and confidence.

Facing your fear may prove to be anticlimatic

Anticlimatic, yes, as your fear as consumed so much of your being that

once you've dealt with it, it actually does not seem as bad at all. You

wonder why, it was a fear in the 1st place.

Take action

Get busy and start conquering your fear by taking small steps.

Worrying about the fear will only make it worse, tackle it head on.

Don't cling to your illusion of safety

Many of us do not enjoy the feeling of being in unknown territory

or out of our comfort zones. As Helen Keller stated “Security is

mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature…. Life is either
a daring adventure or nothing." Most things in life are uncertain,
nothing is guarenteed, its time to take tiny steps out of our
comfort zones.

Be curious

Curiosity can become a habit, it needs to be practised as the more

curious you are, the easier it will become. Curiosity helps with

gaining insight and understanding into areas of uncertainty.

Most importantly believe in yourself, know that you can do it. Yes, the scarey, negative thoughts will consume your mind but its up to you to overcome it. Picture the end result, a feeling of accomplishment, an achievment, a moment to celebrate.

"Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out.”

Karl Augustus Menninger

Source of picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sziszo/2592916753/