TAKE ACTION Run With Shaking Knees.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)

Byline: Cord Cooper

3 Even the most successful people can get cold feet before trying something new. When that happens, though, they forget the short-term discomfort and look to the long-term result.

When doubt has you stuck in neutral, slam into overdrive. How?

Accept fear as the price of progress. Being a success means continually moving into new territory. It also means that occasionally you may look foolish. "The thought of that probably makes you nervous, and that's all right. Just about every person whoever achieved something of value faced fear and moved forward anyway. True heroes are the men and women who conquer themselves," leadership coach John Maxwell wrote in "Your Road Map for Success."

Know the fallout of fear. "Fear causes people to draw back from situations," former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton said. "It brings on mediocrity, it dulls creativity, it sets one up to be a loser in life."

When fear prevents us from taking action, we never find out whether the fear was justified. "And that creates a vicious cycle," Maxwell said. "Fear breeds inaction, inaction leads to lack of experience, lack of experience fosters self-doubt and self-doubt breeds fear."

Feed your faith, not your fear, Maxwell says. "The emotion that you continually act upon -- the one you feed -- dominates your life," he said.