How to overcome fear of the unknown and quickly achieve your goals

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The fear of the unknown often forces us to give up our deepest desires. Full immersion in the field of study using the contextual method can help you overcome this fear and achieve what you want much faster.

According to research by Ravikiran Dwivedulaa, Christophe N. Bredillet. …, in order for us to have enough motivation to achieve certain goals, these goals must be specific enough. In addition, we need to know exactly how to achieve them.

It is for this reason that we often put off fairly simple tasks until the last moment. We're just not sure we know how to do them. Therefore, many prefer a rather concrete tit in hand to an abstract crane in the sky and abandon distant goals in order to achieve more understandable and easy ones.

Research by R. Nicholas Carleton. This is due to the rather widespread fear of the unknown, which triggers many other processes that negatively affect our productivity. How can you overcome this fear and not give up your dream?

Learn to see the positive in the unknown

It's a dangerous business, Frodo, to go beyond the threshold: it is worth stepping on the road and, if you give free rein to your feet, it is not known where you will be taken.

John Ronald Ruel Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings"

How do you feel when faced with situations of uncertainty? They put many into a state of stress. However, some people are more open to the new and the unknown.

An interesting fact is that children are often much better than adults in dealing with dubious situations in which it is difficult to assess the odds of winning or losing. As you age, the pursuit of certainty and security wins out because it keeps you in your comfort zone.

Research by Christos Nicolaidis, Kleanthis K. Katsaros. … also showed that the portability of situations of uncertainty directly depends on the degree of your satisfaction with the business you are doing. The ingenious football coach Bill Walsh said: "If you know well why you are doing something, then you will figure out how to do it."

Sort out the details as quickly as possible

It is logical to assume that in order to cope with the fear of uncertainty, you need to achieve at least some certainty. But this does not mean that you need to schedule the entire sequence of actions until the goal is achieved. It is enough to decide what you will do in the next step.

This means that if you are now in the first point, and your dream is in point 50, then you need to know what you will do when you reach the second and third points. It's enough. When you get to these points, you will know more than you did in the first point. You will be able to ask the right questions and evaluate what or who can help you get to points 5, 6 or 7.

Imagine that this is a quest, and you are collecting clues in order to figure out where to go next. This is how you need to act in order to achieve what you want.

Ultimately, in order to start acting right now, you need to clearly define the next milestone, the time you need to get to it, and the resources you can use to get there. This will give you enough motivation to move forward towards your goal. While others are looking at the forest, you will already make your way through the thicket.

Decide what you want to know

Where is the wisdom that we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge that we have lost in information?

Thomas Eliot

When you are looking for information, you need to know why you need it. Only when you know exactly what you want to know will you be able to determine where to get the data you need and who to ask for advice.

No one can make important decisions for you. You will have to choose the direction of the path yourself. But you can ask someone else specific questions.

In addition, according to scientists Nam-Sook Seo, Sang-Jun Woo, Yun-Ju Ha. …, the information you receive should be directly related to your interests and goals. Albert Einstein said that the best way to gain more knowledge is to do something that you enjoy. This way you won't notice how quickly time passes.

Learn by doing

In training preachers, Mormons have developed an extremely effective way of learning foreign languages. In a few weeks, their students master the material that takes ordinary students three or four years to study. This method has gained wide popularity and is used not only in universities, but even among the military.

This method is commonly referred to as the contextual language learning method. First, students memorize phrases and work on pronunciation. After that, they are divided into pairs and play real life situations using the knowledge gained. The teacher helps the students in this. These role-playing games take 70% of Mormons' learning time.

The rules for using the method are quite simple: learn the concept, practice it, get feedback from the teacher, and then repeat the last two steps.

Studies by J. J. Jupp, M. D. Griffiths show. …, this method also helps to overcome isolation and self-doubt. Shy students who participated in role-playing games during the experiment showed noticeable positive changes in self-esteem and behavior. In addition, scientists have confirmed the importance of continuous feedback.

How to apply the method of contextual language learning in other areas of life

If you really want to change something, forget about the "would" particle. You must approach change responsibly. Many do not take them seriously. They say: "I would like to get in shape", "I would like to work on the relationship." They lack specifics to get things moving.

Tony Robbins bestselling author of life coaching

Mastering something fundamentally new requires constant work on thinking and behavior. Gathering information simply won't get you the results you want.

If you want to quickly learn something, you need to fully immerse yourself in the subject of study and immediately start applying the knowledge gained.

For example, the fastest way to learn Spanish is to immerse yourself in the culture of Spain. If you set aside 15 minutes every day to study the language, you will eventually master it. But if you have the opportunity to go to Spain for a few days, it will be much more effective.

In order not to suffer from a feeling of uncertainty, you need to decide what you will do in the next stages of work. What specific steps need to be taken to master something new using the contextual learning method?

1. Find yourself a teacher

A book or an online course can be your teacher. Or a real person. Learning from a real person is beneficial because you get timely feedback and advice that is right for you.

2. Repeat the same actions until they become a habit

When you first apply the knowledge gained, you have to put in considerable effort and spend a lot of time to achieve the desired result. You have to try again and again and again. Only in this way will you gain confidence in your abilities.

At the first stages of learning something new, the prefrontal cortex of the brain is actively working, which is responsible for working (short-term) memory. Over time, you will acquire a new skill, and this part of your brain can "rest". Now what you have learned, you will do unconsciously, automatically. This will allow you to focus your efforts and attention on something else.

The process of bringing a skill to automatism has four stages:

• Learning something simple and doing it over and over. For example, if you play basketball, you need to practice the same type of throw all the time.
• Gradual complication of the task. Gain momentum until it seems too hard for you. Then lower the difficulty level a little, but keep it close to the maximum.
• Limit yourself in time. This will help you be more productive and perform the same actions even faster.
• Make full use of your working memory. Deliberately add distractions to the learning process. It will also give you the opportunity to apply the acquired skill in different, sometimes unexpected areas, which will only help hone it.

3. Set specific goals for yourself and set tough deadlines

This is the only way to force yourself to apply knowledge in practice.

4. Be sure to track your progress

Many people do not understand why they run out of money so quickly. The thing is, they don't track their spending.

According to scientists Jeffrey B. Vancouver, David V. Day. … Self-regulation is a psychological process that helps you discover the mismatch between your goals and your behavior. It increases your intrinsic motivation and helps you stay on track.

Self-regulation works in three directions:

• Constant self-monitoring determines your current productivity.
• Self-assessment of your actions determines how much your current productivity helps you achieve your goals.
• Your reaction to the results of working on yourself helps you move on. If you are not happy with your productivity, your negative emotions stimulate you to work on yourself.

In addition, Yousueng Han's research has shown. … When you consistently report your performance to someone else, especially if you treat that person with respect, it also increases your productivity. Plus, reporting helps you get timely feedback.

Conclusion

Sometimes it is very difficult to maintain the right attitude in order to achieve your goals. But if you are more specific about the steps towards those goals, immerse yourself fully in the work using the contextual method, and remember to track your progress, you can get what you want. And much faster than you might imagine.