We all know there’s no monster under our bed… hopefully. But the primal fear of something dangerous and lurking in the bush stays with us even into adulthood – just in different forms.

But here’s the thing. Everyone is afraid. It’s all but impossible to dive into a new arena without some hesitance, some uncertainty, and a healthy amount of “I really, really don’t want to do this.”  Understanding your fears, managing your fears, and being willing push past them to new, exciting, and rewarding opportunities is what results in a life you can truly enjoy.

So, let’s dive into that.

Here are 4 ways to face your fears and truly enjoy life:

1. Ditch the Comfort Zone

The comfort zone is titled as such for a reason; it’s comfortable. It’s secure and reasonable, and there should be no reason to move beyond it, right? Wrong.

The comfort zone is comfy, but it’ll hold you back in numerous ways. It operates like a bubble, which doesn’t allow you to move beyond its barriers. I’m not asking you to burst your bubble, just stretch it. Your bubble can get larger and expand to encompass other things the more you stretch it. But it takes work, your bubble is going to want to stay small. Just like stretching your muscles, it’s something you have to do consistently to reap the benefits, so you’ll have to work to stretch your bubble and keep is stretched or it will want to shrink back onto you.

2. Forget About Failing

Here’s the thing that blew me away about pursuing a career makeover; you need to get over your fear of messing it up. While that’s easily said, this is something you should be unapologetic about.

You COULD screw it up, you could have an incredible failure that leaves you face down in the situation, but by not trying, you’ve actually lost more than if you tried. The key here is to evaluate the actual outcomes of your actions. You’ve likely built it up as something much more than it actually is before you even began your journey. Best part? You might actually win; instead of losing you may gain so much more!

Get a piece of paper and write out the pros and the cons of your decision, and see what the best solution is. This gives you clarity and helps you banish the monster under your bed.

3. Clear Your Money Blocks

Money, money, must be funny, in a rich career-achieving world. I’m glad you’re laughing at the ABBA joke, because I know I am. So here’s the thing, many avoid their chance at pursuing their dream because they think the money isn’t enough. But the fantastic thing about the modern generation is, because the stability tale is dead, there is no security to be lost.  At this point, if you’re dead set on pursuing your dream, the key is to decide what you actually want.  Cultivate the life that suits your tastes, and you’ll find the money monster has no qualms – he’s zen about the experience because so are you.

You need to evaluate what you want from life and what brings you pleasure. If money was a nonexistent problem, how would you spend your time? What is really going on is the fear of the unknown. It’s time to nip it in the bud. Manage your expectations out of life and be honest with yourself about it. Then, get really clear on what your income and expenses need to be and create a budget that allows for your ideal lifestyle.

4. Understand the Impostor Syndrome

Ah, yes, the false humility problem called the impostor syndrome. Here’s the thing: talented people are more likely than anyone to under appreciate their accomplishments. Why? Because people who are highly accomplished always push themselves to try harder. This instills the idea that we should never give the proper credit to ourselves.

Being falsely humble is bad!

Take the time to chart out what you’re good at, what your immediate family and friends say about you, and how you can actually accomplish goals. Overcoming this syndrome is about forcing confidence into your daily life, accepting compliments, and demanding your mind recognize your achievements in all their glory.

There are plenty of fears that keep people from testing out something new, exciting, and rewarding. Own it. Embrace it. Just deal with it!

So what are you waiting for? Push fear aside, and head out and do it!