"Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain."
Emerson
The stronger a feeling, the more we tend to feel we should do what it says. That's why
whenever an emotion is very intense, such as fear or desire, it can tend to overwhelm our
reasoning.
When something threatening looms, self-doubts overwhelm us and we overreact and make dumb
decisions even though we're not dumb. It's like with a computer: No matter how good, too
much electricity will blow its circuits. Because feelings are the electrical juice inside
our system, we need tools that can act as emotional circuit breakers so we don't overload
our reasoning. We need to manage our emotions so they don't push us around.
The concept of Threshold Anxiety can help us manage our fears. It says anxiety is a normal
price to be paid when we’re facing anything new and potentially threatening to our
self-esteem. Everyone experiences such fears, even highly actualized people. They accept
it as a price for growth and don't let it stop them. Most actors even have a name for it
-- they call it stage fright. They know anyone feels insecure in a new or unaccustomed
role and it can only be overcome by facing into our fears and tapping its adrenaline. Once
we get over that threshold, it energizes us.