What would it take to summon the courage to do the one thing that you fear most? Maybe you fear public speaking, and that is preventing you from going further in your career. Or perhaps you hate confrontation, and as a result, other people take advantage of you because they know you won’t say no. Do you know what it would take for you to move through fear?

Fear cripples your ability to move through life with ease. When you live in fear, you risk missing opportunities because you are so consumed by battling the beast. The good news is that fear doesn’t have to hold you back, if you are ready to take action.

Five Steps to Releasing Fear

Every day that you open your eyes, you’ve been given another chance to evolve — and that means ridding yourself of hurdles such as fear. If you practice these five steps, you’ll experience a renewed sense of hope, courage, and positivity.

1)  Acknowledge your fear — after all, it’s not a bad word. Fear is simply an emotion indicating that a part of your life is out of alignment. It’s telling you very clearly that you need to make changes, even if it’s within yourself. It’s up to you to understand the source of your fear and to know what changes need to be made to live the life you desire. If you can’t get to the root of your fear, then reach out to friends, family or a professional to help you talk through it. Acknowledging the fear is the first step in moving through it.

2)  Practice gratitude — even in fearful moments. If you can recognize the positive aspects of fear with gratitude and adjust your life as a result, then your energy shifts to a higher level. Shifting to an attitude of gratitude allows you to visualize your success. Take a few moments each day to imagine the perfection in your life, the goals you have achieved and the gifts that each day brings.

3)  Name what you want — let fear lead the way. If what you fear is what you don’t want then it should be pretty easy to know what you do want. Once you name what you want, visualize yourself already having it. Whenever the fear comes up for you, take yourself back to how you felt in your visualization. Focus on the good. Choose to shift to a more empowering vision of who you are and what you can accomplish.

4) Celebrate the closeness of the match because that shows you are getting closer! Celebrating the closeness of the match means celebrating incremental steps you make toward your goal – even if you slide back a notch or two afterward. It could also mean acknowledging your progress even if where you end up is not where you intended to be. So long as you are making forward progression, you are moving in the right direction.

5) Let go of the fear and live — every day of life is a gift. One of the most effective means of moving through fear is with simple affirmations or mantras. It’s only normal that these emotions will often feel crippling so have a plan in place to acknowledge the fear with love and gratitude. Then immediately recite your affirmation or mantra to shift your thinking to what you want and your absolute belief in yourself that you will get it. Here are three mantras to get you started:

There is nothing to fear but fear itself.

I choose my destiny and it’s better than even I can imagine!

I am grateful for each day bringing me one step closer to my perfect life.

Moving through these steps will not only help you move through your fear, but they will also guide your life with an optimistic, cheerful outlook.