Challenge Yourself and Overcome Fear

Do you have things that you don't do because of your fear of failure? If so, you're letting fear tell you what to do. In this case, you should say to fear "Don't tell me what I can't do!" Acknowledge your fears, because in many ways they are probably legitimate. Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to work through one's fears and triumph in spite of them.

Have you been putting off finishing your degree because you're worried that you won't be able to finish the math portion? I had similar concerns about math in college:

During high school, I did poorly in Algebra (mainly because I needed glasses to see the board and I didn't know it) and my teacher wasn't the most encouraging person in the world. I also should have put more effort into learning Algebra (which my parents eventually made me do by hiring a tutoring service), but back then I didn't have as many tools to combat negative self-talk nor as much discipline as I have now. All of this led to me developing a huge anxiety problem when it came to math-related courses. When I was nearing completion of my baccalaureate, the math-related classes stood in the way as an intimidating barrier to graduation. I called my college (Liberty), and they said because of the GI Bill, I wouldn't able to take any lower-level math classes to brush up; I would have to get thrown straight into Math 221: Introduction to Probability and Statistics.

Finding the Standard Deviation is a major theme in the study of statistics

 For this class, I enrolled temporarily at the local community college because it would transfer to my Liberty University transcript and also because I wanted a lot of hands-on help. I spent many hours studying and gave it my best shot. The class helped me grow and stretch; it really challenged me in a good way! It made me think in a way I hadn't thought before. Fortunately, I was able to use Tutor.com for countless hours, a service that Liberty University provides free to its students and I learned the required formulas after much effort. I passed that class with a 'B'. This gave me a huge confidence boost and I felt like if I could pass that class, I could do anything. It made me challenge my false belief that I couldn't do math well, and I broke that false belief beyond repair. Math may not be my strongest subject, but I CAN do it! Do you have anything you CAN do that you once thought you could not? What are some challenging subjects you face? What are the benefits of conquering these subjects?

What if you fail? Weigh the consequences of failing. Do the rewards of success outweigh the consequences of failing? Don't be afraid of failure, because it doesn't have to be final. Failure, if used properly, can become the building blocks of success.

A victory is sweeter all the more when it has been hard-fought and won despite failures along the way. Fight hard, ladies and gentlemen because no one will win all your battles for you. You have to make an effort to learn, earn and thrive. If you challenge yourselves and overcome your fears, you will learn things and discover new passions. You may also even be a little wealthier for it, too. Be extraordinary, my friends.