When most people think of a situation where they have been afraid, they typically wish that it will never happen again.  Why would they?   Being afraid is just plain scary!

What they are missing, however, is the positive value that inherently comes with fear.  What if we embrace being afraid?

Here are four reasons why I personally like to be afraid:

1 – Increased Personal Development:  Generally we like to do what makes us comfortable.  It’s not a natural tendency to put ourselves in places that feel unsafe.  These are outside our comfort zone.

But what if we did?

I love the personal development that comes with being afraid – it is learning like no other – and unless we push ourselves to do things that stretch our comfort level, we will stop developing.

2 – Speed to Action:  We often hear the phrase “trust your gut.”  But how many of us actually do?  When we are afraid, our natural survival instincts take over – we process information quickly, make faster decisions, and take action without heavy analysis or contemplation.

We trust our gut and go.

The funny thing is we are usually right.  Imagine if we could trust our gut more when we are NOT afraid!

3 – Meaningful Results:  When we are afraid, what is the one thing we can typically say about what is happening at that moment?  Usually we are doing something worthwhile or important.

Why else would we be afraid?  We likely have fear of failure.

But if we are never afraid, do we ever achieve important and meaningful things?  I would argue that with lack of fear comes mediocrity.  We perform best and achieve the most when we have some element of fear.

4 – Boost in Long-Term Achievement Potential:  What is the best part about being afraid?  Strengthening your capacity to manage fear and to channel that fear into achieving even greater things.  The more you introduce fear, the higher your fear tolerance.  As your tolerance to harness fear increases over time, so does your achievement potential.

We need to be afraid.  You can choose to do things that may scare you, or you can settle with being mediocre. High achievers see fear as the ultimate fuel of success.