We've all felt it.

The vice like grip of adrenaline, the pounding heart, the racing pulse and the tight throat, the sweaty palms. Yep, that's what happens to us all when we succumb to FEAR!

Whether it be a spider, a speech in front of an audience, an exam, a near car crash or a bump in the night, they all elicit the same reaction.

When I stop to consider all the physical symptoms that fear brings about, I am in awe at the autonomic functions of our physical selves. The completely automatic reactions our bodies produce in order to activate the 'Flight or Fight' response.

Think now, how in a non life-threatening situation, we can take control, with our minds, of not only our physical but also our emotional response to a fearful situation.

I've just re-read the amazing book by Dr Susan Jeffers entitled 'Feel the Fear...And Do It Anyway!' She talks about the responses we should actively encourage ourselves to feel, if we want to overcome fearful situations.

The 'Fight or Flight' response to a dangerous situation is one of the amazing systems the body uses to survive. This is a brilliant example of how our subconscious conditioning can save us, without a contemplative thought process being involved.

However, when we allow that same non contemplative, automatic response to govern our everyday lives, we need to do something about it.

We need to realize that any barrier in our mind is there because of past conditioning. The subconscious is like a jigsaw puzzle. The initial pieces get placed in a certain pattern, typically by the time we are 6, and get cemented in place. This 'jigsaw' forms our map of life. The subconscious now KNOWS not to touch a hot oven plate as well as KNOWing that you have certain shortcomings that you'll never be able to change!

The subconscious holds on to this pre-determined pattern for dear life. This is what it knows to be true of its Universe and it will fight to save it. This is the reason why you can sometimes try as hard as you like, and still fail.

This is where subconscious conditioning comes into play.

Sometimes the fear of overcoming the fear is greater than the original fear. It means we will have to go out and DO SOMETHING about our fears (and that can be really scary:-)

The feeling, however, that you experience once you've conquered that fear, is the most amazingly exhilarating feeling around. To know that you looked that audience square in the eyes and delivered the best speech of your life, fills you with a tremendous sense of achievement and a solid foundation that says, 'I CAN do anything!'

Strive always to 'Feel the Fear...And Do It Anyway! The exhilaration you will feel on overcoming a blockage that has plagued you for so long, will be well worth the blood, sweat and tears of blasting through that barrier.