Don’t be a stick in the FUD

We’ve all heard the saying, “Don’t be a stick in the mud”, right? Well, have you heard about the FUD? FUD stands for three things: Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt. When we begin anything or plan to do something out of the norm, the FUD sinks in. We can be trapped in this, like mud, where we can’t get out.

Have you stepped in mud and your shoe got sucked in? Same concept. We start screaming for help because we don’t know how to get out and then we are one shoe less until we can retrieve it.

FUD is a mindset, or a state of mind. It’s nothing really physical like mud but it can feel that way. It’s gross. It’s sticky. We aim avoid it at all costs. When really, FUD is ourselves getting in our own way.

If you’re driving down the road and you hit a road closed sign you need to detour around it. Imagine, that you put that road closed sign there. You are getting in the way of your own path. That’s FUD.

Let’s break this down into it’s material components and I’ll go over on how to break them down.

Fear

Fear is paralyzing. It prevents us from really going after what we want. We think to ourselves, “What if I fail?” or “What if people laugh at me?” That’s fear setting in. We need to break ourselves away from that fear and as ourselves, “How does this benefit me?” When we answer that question, we break away from the fear.

Fear can be having a kid, buying a house, buying a car, starting a business. We have this fear set in when move forward in our lives. It was upon in when we started high school and college. New worlds. New challenges. New adventures. Fear comes in a prevents us from being better.

Imagining myself as a superhero or someone I know who is fearless helps to overcome it. When we use our imagination we can break down any wall we come to. I really focus on bravery and those that have done it before to draw strength from and get past the fear.

Uncertainty

As humans, we like safe things. Our ancestors liked caves. We like our hometowns. We especially like our go-to order at a restaurant. When we move away from these things uncertainty sets in. We don’t like to try new things. We don’t move away from our hometowns. Uncertainty will trap us from exploration. Marco Polo, Columbus, Galileo, Einstein… are all notable becuase they broke us from our uncertainty. They pioneered new lands and ideas.

Uncertainty keeps us where we are. Do we really want that new job or career change? Most people when they change jobs it’s the same position or same field just with a new company. Rarely do people make 180s in their career. Some do. But a lot of us stay at our job way too long because of uncertainty.

When I am faced with uncertainty, I really focus on my desired outcome. The uncertainty seems to vanish. I am no longer uncertain but driven to get what I desire. The passion gives clarity and certainty to what I really want out of life.

Doubt

Doubt is when we get inside our own head. We believe the negative thoughts and let them control us. We start doubting ourselves because we don’t have a cheerleader or coach to help guide us. “I can’t learn the piano” or “I can’t play that video game” because we doubt ourselves to overcome obstacles.

Doubt sets in during long runs or workouts for me. I know its tough for me to get passed that 3 mile mark. I can run 3 miles no problem but after 3 it’s uncharted territory. “What if I lose pace?” “What if I walk?” I doubt myself that I can go further and push farther.

When I start to doubt myself, I go back to some of my messages from people who have given me encouragement. If they believe in me and my mission, I can believe in myself and my mission. I push those thoughts aside and I keep pressing on because I no longer doubt.

Conclusion

We all need to get out of the FUD. I wish I had an inverse for FUD but I don’t. That’s ok, because when you get away from FUD you can overcome a lot of the obstacles life puts forward. Overcoming FUD isn’t a one-off deal. Anytime it comes you have have to get over it. I become my biggest cheerleader. “Keep it up” “Keep going” “You got this” and these little wins help to keep the FUD at bay and myself focused on the mission.