If you are like most people, you are often confronted with fears that hold you back - consciously or subconsciously. Although you weren't born with them, you are under the strong influence of the environment that implanted them. You might even be tempted to think that worry and fear as the primary base from which your actions stem.

Salespeople know of this powerful influence. People buy truckloads of insurance in preparation for some disaster that "might" happen. "It is better to be safe than sorry." Do you have an extra set of keys (or two) for your house or car? Do you buy food, drinks or even pills that will help you improve your complexion or lose unwanted weight?

Whether it is a fear of losing something good, or getting something bad, fear is a driving force that is always there. Why does someone behave rudely or arrogantly? Because he or she is afraid of losing their "feeling of" authoritative power, which would destroy or undermine his or her position in society.

You already know where jealousy stems from - out of fear for you, wanting or losing something you think you cannot have or the fear that someone else will get what you feel "belongs to you." New situations in life force you to confront a new set of fears. You may even comfort yourself by saying it isn't so bad. Have you ever made a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment or a hairstyling appointment only to arrive in the respective waiting area with no pain or the best hair day you've had in a long time? Now you want to go home.

Fear is a powerful motivator. Some of the more common fears are:

1. Fear of the Unknown
2. Fear of Failure and Rejection
3. Fear of Loss (losing what you have)
4. Fear of Facing Reality
5. Fear of Disapproval

You have to deal with all of these fears if you want to succeed. You cannot deny them or banish them to your subconscious, as that will only add fuel to a fire that will probably and suddenly burst out beyond your control.

Like fires, fears are easiest to squelch when they are still small. Confront your fears and banish them forever. Start with- "The Fear of the Unknown." There isn't a person alive that isn't apprehensive, nervous or even fearful of entering new territory, wandering into the great unknown. What will it hold? How will it change you? Will you be able to handle the situation or complete the task? Will you know what to do and have the ability to do it? Will you be laughed at? Will it be worth it? One way of confronting the unknown is to recognize that without action you will never escape mediocrity.

The primary difference between people who fulfill their dreams and those that don't is action - the former move from words to action, the latter never get beyond the words. Ask yourself: What could I lose if I begin to act? Answer frankly. Typical answers are time, pride and so on. You should note that these answers are merely superficial. What could I gain? An experience that will, without a doubt, make you richer (maybe financially) and one that will bring you closer, above all, to success.

You shouldn't forget that it is self-confidence, overcoming your fears and changing your habits or undesirable attributes (like transforming yourself from timid to outgoing) that bring you a step closer to attaining your desires.