They say we’re motivated by two things: love or fear. (Some say it’s “pain” or “pleasure.”) But one thing is for sure, if you’re in an unhappy or unfulfilling relationship or marriage, you probably experience pain and fear on most days.

Love opens and warms our hearts; it makes us feel hopeful, glad, and safe. 

On the other hand, fear makes us withdraw, and we isolate our hearts behind walls of protection because we’re afraid, even terrified of being hurt. 

It’s impossible to live life to the fullest when we’re afraid. Fear paralyzes us and keeps us not only from pursuing our dreams but from even taking action to make things better.

Fear keeps us stuck. 

We’re afraid of failing or losing love or being made to feel foolish. We’re fearful of losing the “love” or “connection” we have with someone because we’re afraid of being alone, unsure if we’ll ever love again. So we settle for connection and friendship because they’re familiar and safe, and we give up on ever having a blissfully passionate relationship because we fear the unknown.

According to the Bible, love casts out fear. Living daily in worry, fear, and anxiety is no way to live! We deserve better! 

Not all fear is bad, though. Fear protects us from danger or taking unnecessary, foolish risks. But fear can be destructive. 

Here are six steps to put fear in its place once and for all so you can start living life to the fullest! 

1. Know What You Want (Goals)

How can you live life to the fullest when you don’t know what kind of life you want to live or the kind of relationship you want to have?

What do you want from life? Get clear. And get clear on why you want it.

What kind of career, relationship, experiences, and standard of living do you want and why?

And what do you want to do to make the world a better place because life isn’t all about you? You have talents, skills, and gifts to bless your life and serve others.

Decide what you want, and then set goals to make it happen. And if you don’t know what you want, figure out what you don’t want anymore, and then set goals to eliminate that stuff from your life.

Get as clear as you can about what you want and don’t want to shift your focus and priorities and align your energy to begin unlocking your best life. 

2. Prepare Mentally and Emotionally

We live in a time of unlimited opportunity. Successful, happy people prepare themselves to seize opportunities and make the most of them by getting the knowledge and training they need and practicing their skills relentlessly. Michael Jordon practiced throwing 1500+ free throws every day, even during the off-season, to prepare himself to take advantage of game-winning opportunities. 

3. Network 

Building a solid social and professional network isn’t optional; it’s essential to unlocking everything life offers. It’s who you know. Serving people (not using them as commodities) is one of the keys to building your network and finding opportunities that bring you closer to your dreams.

4. Get Curious & Creative: Explore and Ask Questions

Opportunities don’t usually fall into your lap out of the blue. Sometimes you have to search for them, and sometimes, they’re subtle. That’s why it’s important to get curious, ask questions, and get creative to prompt yourself to look at life from every angle. Your curiosity could be the key to unlocking opportunities. 

5. Recognize Opportunities 

Some of life’s greatest opportunities are disguised as something else entirely. You might not see how one thing connects to the other (which is why asking questions is essential), but it’s important to recognize potential opportunities. Sometimes we miss opportunities because they come to us not looking like we imagine or expect. 

6. Take Risks or Live with Regrets

A common regret of people nearing the end of their lives is that they didn’t live their life. We must press forward bravely and take risks to live life to the fullest or live and die safely with regrets.

We’re not talking about any risk, though. We want to take well-thought-out, calculated risks. 

When you’ve prepared yourself to recognize an opportunity and understand how to take advantage of it, you need to be bold and take risks. To ease any discomfort before taking the plunge, review the pros and cons, but seize the day! Give it your all, and then move on to the next opportunity. 

There are no guarantees in life; it’s what you make it! Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “If you want total security, go to prison. There you’re fed, clothed, given medical care, and so on. The only thing lacking… is freedom.” (This is a loose paraphrase of comments he made as a five-star general during a speech in Galveston, Texas, in 1949.) 

Perhaps we should ask ourselves some questions, How much do we really want to live life to the fullest? What’s most important to us, an average life that’s relatively comfortable and okay most of the time or a life of passion and freedom? Also, why are we here and what do we want, what’s our purpose, and what are we willing to sacrifice to make it happen?

Unlocking our best life – a life of happiness, hope, peace, and joy, along with manifesting and claiming everything life has to offer, including love and passion – is entirely within our power as long as we rise above our fears and take inspired action to make the dream of a better life come true.