We’re all scared of something, right?
I, for one, am terrified of heights. I also cannot stand snakes, am completely paranoid about bedbugs and lice, and have recurring nightmares about tsunamis, of all things.
But those types of phobias are not actually the kind of fear I’m talking about.
No, the type of fear I’m talking about is the fear that holds us back in life—the fear that keeps us stuck, keeps us from stepping outside of our comfort zone and trying new things, and prevents us from wholeheartedly pursuing our biggest goals and dreams.
That’s the kind of fear that I look at in my book, Do It Scared™, and it is the kind of fear that inspired me to dig deeper and commission an entire research study, during which we surveyed more than 4,000 people on the role of fear in their lives. (You may have even been one of them!)
What my research team and I learned was pretty fascinating.
You see, as it turns out, not all fear is created equal. In fact, what we learned is that there are seven very unique and distinct ways that fear manifests itself in our lives and holds us back from going after our goals and dreams—something we call the seven Fear Archetypes™.
But what we also learned is that once you have a better understanding of your own Fear Archetype and the way fear is playing out in your life, you are also better equipped to overcome it. In other words?
Identifying your fear is the first step to conquering it!
And while the book goes far more in depth into all seven of these Fear Archetypes, here is a brief overview of each archetype, as well as the underlying fear associated with each one:
So what do you do with this information? And why does it matter?
It matters because it is only once we identify the type of fear that’s negatively impacting our life, holding us back, or keeping us stuck, we can actually do something about it. We can’t fix something without first knowing what the problem is. Without a diagnosis, there can be no cure.
But once you do know where fear is holding you back, once you’ve started to identify those patterns in your life, you can also start to take action–exactly what my new book, Do It Scared, is designed to help you do.
However, in the meantime, if you would like to discover your own Fear Archetype, I highly recommend taking our fear assessment™ HERE.
The free version of the assessment will reveal your top archetype, which is a great starting point for identifying the way fear is manifesting in your life. Or, for a limited time, you can get access to our premium report (a $15 cost).
Our premium report will give you a lot more insight into your top three Fear Archetypes, including how they interact—and what you can do about them. The premium report also shows the overall impact fear is having in your life, as well as your overall score for all seven archetypes. ORDER YOUR BOOK HERE
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This is an awesome post. I am a self-proclaimed "fraidy cat"! Each and everyday I work to overcome my fears to create my best life. This helps people get to the bottom of their fears to overcome them. Love it. Thanks for sharing, Ruth!
The "people pleaser" for me was spot on. I have a hard time setting boundaries, love to over achieve and I'm a major empath. The more traffic my blog and YouTube channel get, the more I get fear of others' reactions for something I might post. I have a few great challenges last week that made me think through some of this. I got a nasty comment from someone who misinterpreted something I said. Luckily, my followers were on top of it and affirmed me and the work I'm doing. Additionally, I was going to offer a coaching program for free as a trial, but MY coach said... no way! It was a great opportunity to charge what I'm worth, and face the feedback that would come.
I'm really enjoying the first look at the book as part of the launch team. It's super interesting to be part of the Do It Scared membership community.
In my assessment, the overall archetype was Excuse-Maker, but ever since then, I've been working on stopping that part of personality and taking more responsibility. I basically look at it as a huge part of the #doitscared movement.
Thank you for writing this book!
My #1 was procrastinator, which definitely rings true. I'd never thought of myself in that way before, but I do put things off until they are perfect, so that makes sense, and it's been very, very helpful for me to be able to finally recognize that!
My #2 was outcast, which partly fits and partly doesn't. I do have a big fear of not fitting in, and I do come off as more fearless and unfazed than I really am. The two things that don't fit are: 1. I actually am a really good team player. 2. I am very scared of, and discouraged by, failure.
Great insights, Ruth!
Hi,.really helpful ..thanks
HI, I got to your blog from a Buzzfeed blog about mom bloggers. As another mom that blogs I thought I would jump over here to show support. I hope that the article gives all the blogs mentioned more traffic. :) I already follow you. Keep up the great work.
I got the excuse maker in the assessment, but I feel I'm all of them! Fear and limiting beliefs attack me in all sorts of ways... which, on the other hand, should be an indicator that what I want to do is really important.