Defeating Your Inner Boogeyman

By: Chris Lee

I like to look for opportunities for personal growth in just about anything I can think of; interactions with others, events, experiences and yes, even holidays like Halloween.

Admittedly I’ ve never been a big fan of the ghoulish holiday, but seeing haunted houses, Halloween decorations and depictions of ghostly creatures makes me think of one of the most fearsome creatures in existence...the Boogeyman.

The ambiguously obscure entity that scares children around the world in many forms. A cruel older sibling usually would invoke the Boogeyman for kicks, striking fear into the hearts of younger children. At times even a weary parent has warned, “If you don't go to sleep the Boogeyman is going to get you!”

As we got older we realized that the Boogeyman actually doesn ’t exist and that fear of the Boogeyman went away...or did it? DID the Boogeyman go away?

The Boogeyman may not be under your bed or hiding in your closet in the dark, staring at you while you cower under the covers. The Boogeyman has quite possibly moved from under your bed to a new spot in your mind. From this vantage point the Boogey Man can see first hand your biggest, scariest fears and worries.

With that being said, when you think about that “ one thing'' (ending a relationship, leaving that job you hate, healing from past trauma, acting on that business idea floating in your head for the last few years), he pops out and asserts himself, triggering fear.

I know what you’re asking:

“The Boogey man has actually moved from the shadows of my bedroom and into my head?” The truth of the matter is, the Boogeyman has always lived in your head. The good news is that the Boogeyman is never going to “ get you ” like you feared when you were a kid. Nope, he won ’t. All the Boogeyman does is scare you into indecision until finally one day you say “I really wish I would’ve done that ‘one thing.’"

5 Ways to Defeat your Inner Boogeyman

Analyze Fear. Allow yourself to experience the fear. As you experience your fears you learn about them and are better suited to challenge them and possibly overcome them.

Visualize Success. See yourself overcoming your fears. Even as little as 15 seconds of positive focus changes the energy surrounding the fear.

Stretch Yourself. Challenge yourself to do things that are out of your immediate comfort zone. By expanding your comfort zone you’ll build self-confidence.

Just Do It. It’s more than just a marketing slogan. The most direct route away from fear is to go through it.