Lose the Fear, Do It Scared! Clear Your Mental Clutter

I wish I had stumbled on an article like Lose the Fear! Clear Mental Clutter That Holds You Back when I spent most of my days worried and afraid of ‘what if’? Thankfully that was many years ago.

For years, fear of trying new things kept me playing small, staying safe, and wondering “what if” instead of “what’s next.” This mental clutter—fear was my comfort blanket. Boy, did this block clarity and prevent my growth in every single area of my life.

What fears are cluttering your mental space right now? Take a moment to notice them.

Fear Is Huge Mental Clutter

According to research from the University of California, 85% of what we worry about never happens, yet these fears occupy valuable mental bandwidth. As psychologist Dr. Susan Jeffers notes, “Feel the fear and do it anyway. The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.”

Perfectionism isn’t about high standards—it’s fear wearing a fancy mask. Fear of judgment, failure, or being seen as less than expert prevents us from beginning. This mental clutter manifests differently across various life domains.

• In relationships | The partner who can’t express needs for fear of rejection
• In parenting | The mother who exhausts herself creating “perfect” experiences
• In health | The person who won’t try new exercise because “I’ll look ridiculous”
• In creativity | The writer who edits while writing, producing nothing
• At work | The manager who can’t delegate because “no one will do it right”

How does fear of imperfection show up in your life and which area feels most constrained by it?

Lose The Fear & Let Success In!

I learned this after years of holding myself back. I relied solely on my artwork for income and kept reproducing the designs that sold rather than being creative, Misery was setting in. Until I realized I had to play with designs creatively and make mistakes. I had to stop worrying about the outcome or nothing new would happen.

Of course I had to make a bunch of ‘bad’ art before I could make ‘good’ art. I decided it was arrogant for me to think otherwise. This was a pivotal moment for me. Fear often prevents us from adopting this perspective.

Read more about My Pivot from Chaos to Clarity

The only guaranteed way to fail is not trying at all. By avoiding action due to fear, you’ve chosen certain failure over possible success. This applies universally:

• The employee who never asks for the promotion
• The single person who never initiates conversations
• The entrepreneur who keeps planning but never launches
• The artist who creates but never shares their work

We often have preconceived notions about failure and success. Some of my worst “failures” as an artist became my best sellers when I dared to show them. I named these “happy accidents” and made a fair amount of money from my “goofs.”

Do you have opportunities you avoiding out of fear? What’s the worst that could happen if you tried? Try flipping that to ‘What’s the best that could happen if you tried’?

Breaking Free From Mental Programming

Many of our fears come from from our role models during childhood. These messages become mental clutter that limits our possibilities. When I was growing up my mother made me feel like I would die if I resisted wearing a sweater when she deemed it necessary.

Many fears were instilled in me growing up, some valid healthy fears and others not so much.

Common limiting messages include:

• “What will people think?” The adult me says “Who cares?”
• “Don’t get your hopes up.” “Why?”
• “Who do you think you are to try something so ambitious?” “Um, me.”
• “That’s not a realistic goal, you need to get a real job.”

My family thought I was insane when I told them I was going to make a living making Venetian glass beads. 30 years later with lots of awards in my pocket I am winding down my glass art business.

A CEO I know couldn’t delegate despite burnout because her father had taught her that “if you want something done right, do it yourself.” This mental clutter affected her leadership until she recognized for what it was. That was her dad’s thinking not hers.

Once you accept there is no perfect life gets easier. I wrote an article on the topic of accepting life on life’s terms called ‘Acceptance Is The First Step to Clearing Mental Clutter‘.

I’m thinking we all have limiting messages from our past and it is still influencing your choices today. Is this you? Did you ever stop to thing how your life might change if you let go of those old self limiting beliefs?

Lose The Fear of Making Mistakes

While it’s impossible to know the exact number, Thomas Edison famously stated he didn’t fail 1,000 times but rather “found 1,000 ways that won’t work” while developing the lightbulb.

Research from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory found that their most successful engineers had experienced significant failures that provided crucial learning. Their findings support what I’ve observed for decades: mistakes are our greatest teachers.

Fear of mistakes creates mental clutter across all the areas of our lives.

• Social | The person who rehearses conversations endlessly, afraid of saying the wrong thing
• Professional | The professional who won’t speak up in meetings for fear of sounding uninformed
• Educational | The student who chooses easy classes to maintain a perfect GPA
• Financial | The investor who keeps everything in cash, afraid of making the wrong choice

How many of these sound familiar to you?

What would you try to do today if you were not afraid of failure? Why not try it and look at it like it is a learning curve?

Practical Steps to Combat Fear and Clear Mental Clutter

Brain Dumps!

Brain dumps are one of my favorite exercises! Some people call this journaling. I get a pen and paper and jot down all my distracting fears, gripes, and resentments. This reduces their power over me. The act of writing often lets me see just how ridiculous some of my whining is. Most of the stuff is just lack of accepting life on life’s terms.

I wrote an article Acceptance Is The First Step to Clearing Mental Clutter

Do It Anyway, Every Day!

Small, regular challenges to your comfort zone build resilience. Commit to one small imperfect action daily. For a laugh try using your non-dominant hand to write something or to brush your teeth!

I am sitting here wondering what excuse you say to prevent you from trying your non-dominant hand. ; ()
After you download the Excuse Cheat Seat check out this article How To Stop Making Excuses And Start Living The Dream!

• Send that email with a typo (Eek!)
• Share an unfinished idea at work
• Ask a question when you don’t know the answer
• Post on social media without overthinking

Use the “Five Minutes of Courage” Technique

Five minutes of courageous action often breaks through your initial fear. Being an invited guest on Podcasts scares the life out of me. I keep showing up though and maybe someday I will get better!

Create a “Lessons Learned” Log

By reflecting on your past resilience you will increase your confidence for future challenges.

Build Your Support System

For me this is my number one go-to when I am terrified. About 40 years ago I joined a couple of support groups. I learned almost immediately that what I could not do on my own I could do with a support system. This was huge!

I felt like I gained a pressure relief valve by adding supportive like-minded people to the mix.

There is no need today to face fear alone with so many online supportive communities out there. Do your due diligence when checking out groups that are a good fit for you. Stick to the people who encourage and support you and run from the negative naysayers!

What Becomes Possible When You Clear Fear-Based Mental Clutter

When you clear fear from your mental space, the magic begins to happen!

• Clearer decision-making | Without the noise of “what-ifs,” you can evaluate options based on values rather than fear
• Increased creativity | Energy previously spent managing fear becomes available for creativity
• Authentic relationships | Afraid to speak your truth? Do it anyway, this is where genuine connections are made.
• Efficient problem-solving | Solutions appear more readily when you stop catastrophizing
• Consistent growth | You will begin to notice progress when fear stops resisting change

Common Misconceptions About Facing Fear

Addressing fear doesn’t mean…

• Being reckless or ignoring legitimate risks
• Never feeling afraid (the goal is to act despite fear, not eliminate it)
• Pursuing every opportunity – pick the ones that align with you
• Setting unrealistic expectations (start small and build gradually)

As author Liz Gilbert says, “Fear is always going to be there… but it doesn’t get to vote on where we go.”

Start Where You Are

The fear that’s holding you back is simply mental clutter. Like physical clutter, you can address it with consistent, intentional practices.

Your future is waiting on the other side of that fear. The only guaranteed failure is not trying at all.For starters I recommend asking yourself “If I wasn’t afraid what would I do”?