Fear is a universal emotion, a built-in survival mechanism designed to protect us from danger. In moderation, it’s useful; it sharpens our senses, keeps us alert, and reminds us to proceed with caution. But when fear becomes excessive or irrational, it morphs from a protector into a prison guard, quietly confining us within the limits of our own imagination.
Fear whispers the same refrain: What if I fail? What if I’m not enough? What if it all goes wrong?
And so, we retreat, not from the world, but from our potential.
The good news? Fear isn’t permanent. It’s programmable. And the way to reprogram it begins with what I call shutting the doors of your inner eyes.
What Does It Mean to Shut the Doors of Your Inner Eyes?
Our “inner eyes” are our imagination, the mental projector that plays out vivid scenarios shaped by emotion. When fear takes over, that projector runs wild, painting worst-case pictures so real they feel inevitable.
But these images aren’t truth; they’re stories, stories we tell ourselves about what could go wrong. Shutting the doors of your inner eyes means interrupting that loop. It’s choosing to stop feeding fear with imagination and to focus instead on possibility, presence, and progress.
By closing those doors, you don’t deny your fear; you disarm it.
1. Identify Your Fears
You can’t overcome what you refuse to name.
Start by writing down what you’re afraid of – failure, rejection, loss, uncertainty, and note how each one impacts your life. Naming fear strips it of its power. It takes fear from an undefined shadow to something tangible you can confront.
Awareness turns fear into a target; denial keeps it in control.
2. Challenge the Story Fear Tells You
Fear thrives on assumptions. It feeds on exaggeration and imagined outcomes.
Ask yourself:
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Is this fear rational?
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What evidence supports it?
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What’s the worst that could happen, and how likely is it?
By questioning your fear, you engage logic, the very thing fear tries to suppress. Most of the time, you’ll find that your fears are not facts; they’re mental habits.
3. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness helps you separate yourself from your thoughts. Instead of drowning in fear-driven stories, you become an observer, calm, grounded, and present.
When fear arises, notice it. Name it. Feel it without judgement.
Then bring your attention back to your breath, your surroundings, or the task at hand. Fear loses strength when it can’t pull you into its imagined future.
4. Visualize Success, Not Disaster
If imagination can amplify fear, it can also neutralize it. Use the same mental energy to create empowering images instead of terrifying ones.
Visualize yourself succeeding, confidently speaking in public, acing that interview, or taking the leap you’ve been avoiding. Feel the calm, confidence, and control that comes with victory.
Your brain responds to imagination almost as powerfully as reality, so use that power intentionally.
5. Take Action, Even Small Steps
Fear feeds on inaction. Every time you avoid what scares you, fear grows stronger; every time you face it, it weakens.
Start small. If public speaking terrifies you, start by sharing your opinion in a meeting. If failure scares you, set a small, achievable goal and follow through. Action breeds evidence, and evidence dismantles fear’s lies.
Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s movement in spite of it.
Closing the Doors
Fear will never fully disappear, and that’s okay. Its presence reminds us we’re alive, we’re growing, and we’re standing on the edge of something meaningful.
But you hold the key. When fear floods your imagination with dark scenarios, you can shut the doors of your inner eyes and choose what to see instead: progress, purpose, and possibility.
Remember, conquering fear isn’t a single act; it’s a daily discipline. Every time you choose presence over panic, courage over comfort, and faith over doubt, you take back a little more power from the shadows.
Your fear may knock, but it doesn’t have to come in.
Author’s Note:
Kingsley Noel is a UK-based entrepreneur and founder of several ventures including NEUCLO, DENVIO, LEARNFIELD, FARMLOVERS, YOUNGBRIT, and NOVO. His work and entrepreneurial journey have been featured in Leicester Mercury, Yahoo News, Business Live, FOX, CBS, NBC, and other major media outlets.
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