Stop Letting Fear Win: 5 Steps to Take Action and Crush Anxiety

You have goals you genuinely care about, maybe even big dreams that keep you up at night, that you finally get around to putting them into reality! But the fear of failing locks you in place. Your mind starts to spiral.

You re-write the same idea 10 times but never hit publish.

You binge productivity YouTube instead of actually doing the work.

You research new tools because starting feels too risky.

So you hesitate, overthink, and watch your motivation fade while your goals sit untouched.

And the wild thing? Every time you avoid taking action, your brain thinks it’s protecting you. But here’s the twist: The fear you’re treating like a red light is often a signal that you’re right on track.

What if this stuck, anxious version of you isn’t the whole story? What if the fear you’re wrestling with is actually the doorway to the confident, decisive builder you’ve been trying to become?

In 5 steps, I will show you how to turn Hesitation into Action

You will learn how to:

  • Turn crippling hesitation into small wins
  • Turn self-doubt into momentum
  • Turn fear into fuel for action

Ready to step into the version of yourself who actually takes action? Let’s get started!

1. The Organism Wants to Conserve Energy

Your brain on autopilot is insanely energy-efficient. But in order to put things on autopilot, you first need to face the unknown. This costs energy and often triggers anxiety.

Your brain has a limited supply of energy each day. Overthinking, worrying, or stressing about approval drains that energy, and leaves nothing for the work that matters most.

The conscious thought alone to decide whether you want to invest energy into ego-fueled rumination or doing some work will help you to make better decisions.

Your survival brain wants to keep you in the safe zone. But you know that the learning happens outside of it. Find the sweet spot between underwhelming and overwhelming yourself and you will be able to constantly follow your curiosity. Put things aside that are not worth your energy.

2. Repetition beats Perfection

There is a well-known pottery experiment  that split students into two groups. One focusing on quantity, and the other on quality. The first group was told to make as many pots as possible in a given time. While the second group of students were told to make the best pots they could possibly make.

The end result was that the first group learned to make better pots, while the second group struggled to figure out from day one what the “perfect” method to shape pots could be. Wasting valuable time trying to figure out that you could invest in learning by doing.

When you chase perfection before you build skill, you stall.

When you embrace repetition, you improve faster.

Ship things even if they are not perfect. Your mission is not to get it right the first time but to learn what you can improve on.

  • Send the pitch even if the draft isn’t perfect
  • Start the workout even if it’s only 5 minutes
  • Publish the post even if it’s not your best

The insights you gain from trying and failing are invaluable.

How often did you have to stumble and fall before you learned to walk? A hundred times? Do 100 repetitions first, and then look back to compare the results.

3. But what if People Judge me?

When you were a toddler learning to walk, did people judge you for stumbling and falling? Probably not. Nobody said you didn’t have good enough legs or that you were bad at walking. You simply got up and tried again. And the same applies to reading, writing, or finally taking actions for the dreams you are made to chase.

Here is the cognitive reframing that you need:

Failure isn’t a verdict, it’s feedback. If you treat it as such, it becomes a valuable lesson.

If you view failure as an opportunity to learn rather than something to avoid, every setback becomes a step forward in building your skills and resilience. Which leads us to the next step.

Here’s a thought experiment.

Imagine showing up as your authentic self and messing up. Someone laughs, criticizes, or tries to belittle you.

There are two outcomes.

  1. They’re not your people. If someone mocks your growth, you’ve just identified a person who doesn’t deserve front-row seats to your life.

  2. They’re supportive. If they encourage you or give constructive feedback, you’ve found the kind of environment where you can grow.

It’s a win win situation. You either learn who respects your effort - and who doesn’t. Build the environment you want to be part of.

How do you build the right environment for yourself?

Send the right signals. If you are sorry for every step you take, you subconsciously victimize and sabotage yourself. Instead say this:

“Thanks for the feedback! I will take it into account and improve.”

Do you see what difference it makes?

The positivity it creates in you and the environment you are in?

Take control and shape your life the way you want to.

4. Replace self-criticism with self-support

Self-criticism kills progress faster than any external judgment. Remember that you have to chose wisely which energy consumers you want to stop? Critizing yourself is one of them. Even worse, beating yourself up will not generate the biggest bang for your buck. It’s a self-defeating cycle.

I used to berate myself after every failed attempt - and it made me stop trying at all.

If you fail and immediately attack yourself, your brain starts associating taking action with emotional pain. So, of course, you avoid taking action.

Instead, treat yourself like you’d treat a close friend. Be compassionate to yourself first. Once I started to tell myself it is okay to make mistakes, that everything is a lesson and I’m here to learn, I started to take action.

That switch in my mindset changed everything. I realized self-criticism was not helping me. It was holding me back.

And once you’re no longer afraid of failing or judging yourself, there’s only one step left.

5. Make Success Inevitable

This is where everything changes.

Don’t wait for the perfect plan, the perfect moment, or the perfect version of yourself. You build confidence by taking action — not the other way around.

Start with imperfect, low-stakes actions like:

  • Send the job application even if the resume isn’t flawless and ask for feedback
  • Post the idea even if it’s not perfectly worded
  • Record one messy video of yourself doing something you are afraid of
  • Walk for 5 minutes instead of planning the “perfect” workout - the rest will follow naturally
  • Write one paragraph instead of outlining the entire book

Each action builds proof that you can. Each proof shrinks fear. Keep going. And soon, success won’t just be possible. It will be inevitable.

Closing words

Understanding the thoughts that hold you back, actions or lack thereof, are the first step to breaking free from the fear of failure.

Don’t wait for perfection. Don’t wait for clarity. Don’t wait for permission.

Take the next small step - however messy it is - and let momentum do the heavy lifting.

You’re more capable than you think.

Prove it to yourself by taking the next step.

If you want structured, bite-sized challenges that help you take action every week - without waiting for confidence - join the list.

It’s built for people who are tired of overthinking and finally want to see progress.