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Irvingia Gabonensis Supplement Craze: In-Credible Weight Loss from an African Tree?

By Tom Venuto

www.BurnTheFat.com

Irvingia gabonensis is the latest weight loss supplement to hit the marketplace, saturate the internet with advertisements, ignite forum discussions and flood my email inbox with questions. In the weight loss marketplace, this may gain the dubious distinction of becoming the next hoodia or acai berry (scam), but I’ll just present the facts, make my case and then let you judge for yourself.

Irvingia gabonensis comes from a West African tree commonly known as the wild mango or bush mango. The trees bear edible fruits, and they’re especially known for their nuts which go by many different names including ogbono, etima, odika or dika nuts. Like other nuts and seeds, Irvingia gabonensis is high in fat (50%), and oil can be extracted from them. Irvingia gabonensis is also comprised of 26.4% carbohydrate, 7.5% protein, 2.3% ash and 14% fiber. Dietary fibers are often recommended to aid with weight loss programs as well as for their health benefits.

The first Irvingia Gabonensis weight loss study: 2005

Due to its customary use in African cuisine and reputation as a health food, a research group based in Cameroon (Western Africa) set up a randomized double blind study in 2005 to see if Irvingia gabonensis could help with weight loss. 40 obese subjects, age 19 to 52, were divided into placebo and experimental groups. The experimental group received 1.05 grams of Irvingia seed extract 3 times a day (total 3.15 grams) for 30 days.

Subjects were examined weekly and tested for body weight, body fat and hip/waist circumferences. Blood pressure was measured and blood samples were also collected after an overnight fast and tested for total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, HDL-cholesterol and glucose. The subjects were interviewed about their physical activity and food intake during the trial and were instructed to follow a low fat diet of 1800 calories per day and keep a food record for seven days.

At the end of the 30 day trial, the Irvingia group had lost an average of 5.26 kilos (11.5 lbs) and the placebo group had lost only 1.32 kilos (2.9 lbs). The group receiving Irvingia also experienced a decrease in systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol increased.

This was the first study that suggested a weight loss benefit from Irvingia gabonensis. Why did the Irvingia group lose more weight? It’s not clear, but in studies of free-living subjects, increased weight loss often means that the experimental group ate less, not necessarily from a direct action on metabolism, hormones or physiology.

In-credible weight loss research

In March of 2008, the same research group (Oben and Ngondi) published the results of their second study about Irvingia and weight loss. This time, Irvingia was combined with Cissus quadrangularis, a succulent vine native to West Africa and Southeast Asia. 72 subjects were divided into three groups, placebo, Cissus extract only (150 mg 2X/day) and Cissus-Irvingia combination (250 mg combined Cissus-Irvingia 2X/day).

All the same tests and measurements were taken as in the 2005 study. After 10 weeks, improvements were seen in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and fasting blood glucose. The placebo group lost 2.1 kg (4.6 lbs), the cissus group lost 8.82 kg (19.4 lbs) and the Cissus-Irvingia group lost 11.86 kg (26.1 lbs).

Attributing 26 pounds lost in 10 weeks solely to a fiber supplement is highly unlikely if not impossible, so the researchers (Oben and Ngondi) figured there was something else going on. They proposed that PPAR gamma, leptin, adiponectin or glycerol-3 phosphate dehydrogenase could all be potential mechanisms through which Irvingia gabonensis might affect body weight in overweight humans.

They set up another 10 week randomized double blind placebo-controlled study to investigate these possibilities. 120 subjects were divided into two groups; a placebo group and an Irvingia gabonensis group, which received 150 mg of Irvingia gabonensis extract twice a day.

Again, total and LDL cholesterol levels fell more in the Irvingia group than the placebo group (27% vs 4.8%). In the Irvingia gabonensis group, body fat decreased by 6.3% versus 1.9% in the placebo group. Weight decreased by 12.8 kg (28.1) pounds in the Irvingia gabonensis group vs 0.7 kg (1.5 lbs) in the placebo group. Favorable changes were also seen in Leptin (anti starvation hormone that signals brain & body about fat stores), adiponectin (protein secreted from fat cells; higher levels improve insulin sensitivity), C-reactive protein (marker of inflammation and cardiac risk) and fasting glucose.

To the lay person, this 28-pound weight loss (12.8 kilos) looks incredible. To someone familiar with research methods and weight loss research, these results look IN-credible, meaning NOT credible. To the informed and discriminating, results like these do not send you running to the health food store, they raise red flags, prompt more questions and demand more and better-controlled research.

What “controlled research” means

The subjects were advised not to alter their diet or activity, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t alter it anyways. These were free-living subjects, free to eat whatever they wanted and the only way the researchers knew how much the subjects ate or how active they were was from self-reported food and activity records. That’s another way of saying the study was NOT controlled.

A true tightly-controlled weight loss study means that the subjects stay in a hospital or research center metabolic ward where all their food is prepared and delivered to them, which is the ONLY way to guarantee we actually know how much they ate. It also means that activity and exercise levels are monitored. Alas, none of these controls were used in this study and we have no way of knowing the true caloric intake or caloric expenditure of these subjects.

Explaining the anomaly

If these results are questionable, then how do we explain them? I mean, we’re not saying the researchers are frauds, we’re only suggesting that there were some anomalous findings which were parlayed into the latest supplement craze and a thriving business.

The main problem is that self-reporting of food intake is highly inaccurate and makes long term weight loss research very difficult to do. It’s even possible that some subjects may have experienced a sort of “12 week fitness contest” type of effect, whereupon enrolling in the study, they wanted to impress anyone who saw the results. Therefore, they increased their exercise or activity in spite of instructions otherwise. Perhaps some of the subjects got sick and lost lean body mass. Maybe some were bloated and water retentive and simply dropped a lot of water weight. The explanations are endless

But the story doesn’t end here. There’s another twist! It turns out that one person has done ALL the research to date and the same person owns the product rights.

Am I being overly skeptical?

Sure, I’m skeptical of weight loss supplements. That’s because I’m intimately familiar with their sordid history and I read the research. In case anyone thinks I’m just trying to pick part this particular research only because I’m a diet pill party pooper and supplement skeptic, then think about the magnitude of the claim for a moment and decide for yourself:

The Dubious claim: “28 pounds of fat loss in 10 weeks with NO CHANGE IN DIET OR EXERCISE.”

Let’s do some math, shall we? 28 pounds of fat loss in 10 weeks = 98,000 calories, or 9,800 calories per week, or 1400 calories per day. So, the researchers and makers of this supplement are claiming that this product will raise metabolic rate by 1400 calories per day.

Is it a more reasonable assumption that an over-the-counter plant extract from an African tree caused astronomical increase in metabolism that probably no prescription drug comes close to, or that the research is flawed?

Consumers in the weight loss marketplace have such short memories. Doesn’t anyone remember that last African wonder pill, hoodia? What happened to that one? And why another? How many of these products are already buried in the supplement graveyard? Haven’t we learned our lessons from the past?

Irvingia Gabonensis: The bottom line

With an objective look at the evidence, we can probably conclude that Irvingia is a good source of fiber. Fiber can provide numerous health benefits and play a role in body fat control, but there are cheaper ways to get fiber than expensive African supplements, (starting with your food!) A 30-day supply of Irvingia (60 softgels at 150 mg each) currently retails for $42 to $72.

Future research might show that Irvingia Gabonensis and or an Irvingia and Cissus combination may provide significant health benefits. Existing research already suggests health benefits including cholesterol improvements, glycemic control, antibacterial actions and antioxidant properties. It’s possible that some of the proposed anti-obesity benefits may also be confirmed. But at this time, the evidence is too thin to recommend Irvingia Gabonensis for weight loss beyond what you could get from any fiber product.

Yours in health,

Tom Venuto

www.BurnTheFat.com

References

Ngondi JL, Oben JE, The effect of Irvingia gabonensis seeds on body weight and blood lipids of obese subjects in Cameroon. Lipids Health Dis. 2005May 25;4:12. University of Yaounde I, Cameroon.

Ngondi JL, Etoundi BC, Nyangono CB, Mbofung CM, Oben JE.IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigation. Lipids Health Dis. 2009 Mar 2;8:7. University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon.

Damson I, Okafor C, Abu-Bakare A. A supplement of Dikanut (Irvingia gabonesis) improves treatment of type II diabetics. West Afr J Med. 1990 Apr-Jun;9(2):108-15. 1990. University of Benin.

Oben JE, Ngondi JL, Momo CN, Agbor GA, Sobgui CS. The use of a Cissus quadrangularis/Irvingia gabonensis combination in the management of weight loss: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Lipids Health Dis. 2008 Mar 31;7:12. University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Okafor J, Okolo HC: Potentials of some indigenous fruit trees of Nigeria. Paper presented at the 5th Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria Jos 1974:60-71.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, independent nutrition researcher, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat-Burning Secrets of The World’s Best Bodybuilders & Fitness Models (e-book) which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

Faith Based Diets: Does God Punish You For Being Fat?

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

www.BurnTheFat.com

Faith based diets have been around for decades. But is overeating really a sin? Does God punish you for being fat? A recent column in an issue of USA Today answers, “weight loss is hard enough without feeling that the almighty is on your back, too”…

Recently, I was sitting in a wonderful little breakfast “parlor” on Main Street in Santa Monica (California), enjoying a bowl of oatmeal, a mountain of fresh fruit and a “sexy omelette” (the bodybuilder’s favorite). There was even a “Schwarzenegger omelette” on the menu – I kid you not! Although the usual dietary temptations are omnipresent everywhere, I noticed a lot more healthy eateries and healthy options on menus out here, which is okay by me! It seems like people are much more health conscious in Southern California compared to back home in the New Jersey/New York City area.

One thing is for sure – people are definitely in better shape. No doubt, it’s partly due to the year-round beautiful weather. You can’t hide under those winter coats in this weather! When I left Newark airport it was a blustery 37 degrees. It’s 77 degrees and sunny as I sit here on my hotel balcony, laptop on my lap, overlooking the palm trees and Pacific ocean.

A friend of mine once said that “Palm trees are God’s way of saying, LIVE HERE!”

Speaking of God, that brings me to the subject of this article. As I was finishing up the last few bites of my high protein omelette, I came across an article in USA Today that I simply HAD to pass on to you because it’s related to some of the weight loss work I’ve been recently doing and it bears some important lessons.

The column, written by Christine Whelan, a professor of sociology, said that religious diet groups are growing in number and some of them say that “God might not approve of that second piece of pie.” In fact, some of these groups, reported Whelan, warn that God will punish you for overeating and being fat. The Weigh Down Workshop, one of the most “hard-line” of such groups, tells their participants that God will “destroy you” if you abuse your body by overeating.

Well, we’ve certainly heard of gluttony referred to as a deadly sin, but is this going a little too far?”

I’m not sure what other people think, but I prefer to think of God as a loving God, who does not punish a person in the hereafter for being fat in this life. But then again, why would he have to? He has created a magnificent physical world based on immutable physical laws of cause and effect, reward and consequence, which mete out all the “punishment” needed, right here in this life: diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoarthritis, gout, and even cancer. All of them are linked to obesity. Combined with the emotional pain of being overweight and the lower quality (and sometimes quantity) of life, I’d say that’s punishment enough, wouldn’t you?

But enough of my theological viewpoint, I found some tremendously valuable practical lessons in the newspaper article.

I don’t believe that instilling guilt or fear of eternal damnation is an uplifting way to change behavior. Perhaps it might be effective for some, as fear of consequences can be a powerful motivator. But aren’t there more positive ways to achieve behavior modification than hellfire and brimstone?

For example, metaphors are also powerful motivators, especially because metaphors are language that your unconscious mind can understand. Didn’t Jesus teach in parables and metaphors? What if you said your body was like a temple? Would you behave differently? Would you look after your “temple” with more care? Those with spiritual beliefs almost certainly would, if they kept that in mind and believed it on a deep level.

In my books, I delve into the emotional, psychological and social aspects of body fat loss.

Some of the chapters are devoted to teaching you how to build a fortress of positive, uplifting, inspiring energy around you in the form of positive, uplifting, and inspiring people. But many of my readers and clients tell me this is easier said than done in their world. “What am I supposed to do when peer pressure from my friends is pulling me down?” “What do I do if my own family won’t support my new, healthier choices? What if they keep bringing potato chips, cookies and ice cream into the house?” “What if no one supports me?”

Enter spiritual diet support groups. Not all of these groups are so extreme as to pronounce that being fat is a sin. And as Whelan put it, “religion may be the ultimate trump card of many behavior modification programs.”

No matter how independent we are, we all need support in our journeys toward personal improvement. It’s the great paradox of succeeding in any endeavor in life – you have to do it by yourself, but you can’t do it alone.

Spiritual communities and religious support groups can be the last refuge of support and encouragement for some people. For anyone with spiritual beliefs, these groups may be one of the best places of all to turn for social support. There’s your church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship. There are also organized weight loss support groups.

One such group mentioned in the USA Today article is BABES – Beautiful Accountable Babes Exercising Sensibly. The mission of babes is “connecting with others to lose weight and build friendships.” Accountability. Exercising. Connecting with others. That all sounds pretty sensible to me! Moreover, according to BABES co-founder, Barb Swanson, “we are not into sin and judgement. God wants balance and it’s more than the size that you are.”

Indeed it is. As I have said before, body fat is not a person, it’s a temporary physical condition. What we really are is far more than physical bodies.

There’s enough guilt, fear and shame for people who are struggling with weight issues already. They don’t need any more negativity from their spiritual leaders. Instead, if you are a person of faith, use your spiritual community as a source of social support and inspiration, and motivate yourself by focusing on the positive and uplifting side. It will pay you eternal dividends.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto

Fat Loss Coach

www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

8 Reasons Why You Keep Falling Off The Diet Wagon

By Tom Venuto

www.BurnTheFat.com

Clearly, we have an obesity problem in America and many other countries across our planet. Yet, I propose that we do not have a weight loss problem today. In case you’re confused at this apparent contradiction, consider these statistics:

According to a study from Oxford University published in the International Journal of Obesity, within 3 to 5 years, about 80 percent of all ‘weight losers’ have regained the lost weight, and often gained back a little extra.

According to research by the National Weight Control Registry, that relapse rate may be as high as 95 percent.

For comparison, relapse rates for drug, alcohol and tobacco dependency have been reported in the range of 50-90%.

This means that lots and lots of people have “successfully” lost weight. But not many have kept it off. Therefore, we don’t have a weight loss problem, we have a weight-relapse problem; we have a “not sticking with it” problem. Wouldn’t you agree?

In fact, the fall and subsequent weight-regain usually doesn’t take years. Many people have abandoned their new year’s resolutions within weeks. By the time the Super Bowl party rolls around, their diet is history!

If this is true, then shouldn’t we put more of our attention onto figuring out why you haven’t been sticking with your program, and what you should do about it?

I put together this new list (below) of the top 8 reasons why you fall off the wagon.

Rather than worrying about the minutiae of your diet plan, like whether you should be on low carb or high carb, Mediterranean or Okinawan, vegetarian or meat eater, I propose that if you simply focus on these 8 issues, you’ll start getting more lasting results.

How? By being able to stick with whichever plan you decided was best for you! After all, even if you have the best nutrition program in the world – on paper – it doesn’t do you much good if you can’t stick with it in practice!

THE 8 REASONS

1. No focus: you didn’t set goals, you didn’t put your goals in writing, and/or you didn’t stay focused on your goals daily (by reading them, affirming them, looking at a vision board, etc.)

2. No priorities: you may have set a goal, but you didn’t put it on or near the top of your priorities list. For example, your goal is six pack abs, but drinking beer and eating fast food on the weekend is higher on your priorities list than having a flat stomach.

3. No support system: you tried to go at it alone; no buddy system, training partners, family, spouse, friends, mentors or coaches to turn to for information and emotional support when the going got tough.

4. No Accountability: you didn’t keep score for your own accountability – with a progress chart, weight record, measurements, food journal, training journal, and you didn’t set up external accountability (ie, report to someone else or show your results to someone else)

5. No patience: you were only thinking short term and had unrealistic expectations. You expected 10 pounds a week or 5 pounds a week or 3 pounds a week, so the first week you lost “only” 1 or 2 pounds or hit a plateau, you gave up.

6. No planning: you winged it. You walked into the gym without having a workout in hand, on paper, you didn’t plan your workouts into your weekly schedule; you didn’t have a menu on paper, you didn’t make time (so instead you made excuses, like “I’m too busy”)

7. No balance: your diet or training program was too extreme. You went the all or nothing, “I want it now” route instead of the moderate, slow-and-steady wins the race route.

8. No personalization: your nutrition or training program was the wrong one for you. It might have worked for someone else, but it didn’t suit your schedule, personality, lifestyle, disposition or body type.

So there you have it – 8 reasons why most people fall off the wagon! Have you been making these mistakes? If so, the solutions are clear and simple: focus, prioritize, get support, be accountable, be patient, plan, balance and personalize.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto

Fat Loss Coach

www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, independent nutrition researcher, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat-Burning Secrets of The World’s Best Bodybuilders & Fitness Models (e-book) which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

Quote for the day:

“Success requires first expending ten units of effort to
produce one unit of results. Your momentum will then
produce ten units of results with each unit of effort.”

-Charles Givens

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Be on the lookout for my next email for details on a live
teleseminar I am conducting this week on how to Jump Start
Your Goals.

In the meantime, thank you for allowing me to be a part of
your life and for you being a part of mine.

-Jill

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Featured Article
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Got Momentum on Your Goals and Resolutions?
By Jill Koenig

Have you ever set a Goal and in the following days, weeks,
months or even years, took little or no action towards it’s
achievement?

If so, you’re not alone.

The world moves so fast these days. Not to sound like an
old timer, but back in my day… we didn’t have cell
phones, computers, PDA’s, ipods or many of the hundreds of
devices we have become so dependent upon today.

If you were around back in the 70’s you were lucky if your
neighborhood had 5 television channels that came in from
your outside antenna. You actually had to get up off your
duff to change the channel or turn up the volume. Now we
have hundreds of cable and satellite channels and remote
controls that work every electronic device in the house!

There was no Google, there was no Ebay and phones were
attached to the wall by a chord.

Things move FAST these days. One of the greatest
advancements of the last 30 years is the ability to send
information all the way around the world via email in a
millisecond for free if you have an internet connection. I
can send an email from my phone in America to my friends in
Australia in the blink of an eye. I can download an ebook or
even watch a video that my friend 1,000 miles away made 5
minutes ago (thanks YouTube).

I wonder where in the world you are right now as you read
this.

What’s good about all of these advancements is that things
that used to take years to accomplish 20 or 30 years ago,
can now be achieved in a matter of months, weeks or even
days. You can achieve your Goals now faster than ever
before.

Yet still sometimes you set a Goal but never get it off the
ground.

I am here to remind you that there has never been a better
time in human history to go after your Goals and Dreams
than right now.

Want to learn a new skill? There are millions of tools and
resources at your fingertips within seconds. Just google
it.

Want to start a new business, learn a new language, write a
book? Thanks to the internet, you can connect with others
with similar Goals or others who have done it already
within minutes. You can publish a physical book within days
and an ebook within minutes.

You can even download my Goal Setting audio trainings to
your mp3 player and take me with you wherever you go!

My Goal Setting business was started with very little
investment. GoalGuru.com’s first web presence was a $ 10 do
it yourself web site. That’s a couple of lattes at the
coffee shop. You can’t even buy a pizza with $10 anymore
but you can launch a business. It was all I needed to start
my blog, a newsletter and begin to share my knowledge and
coaching experience on a global level… immediately. I had
clear Goals, a compelling mission and an enormous amount of
energy and determination. I would let nothing stop me. And
now you are reading this.

At the same time I launched GoalGuru.com, I had friends and
acquaintances who wanted to start a businesses too. It’s
been two years and they haven’t started anything yet.

Do you want to know the biggest difference between them and
me?

I would love to tell you that I am so much brighter or more
attractive or had better connections or that I had some
other advantage that they didn’t. But that is not the
case.

What I had (and still have) that they don’t is very
simple.

Momentum.

I set my Goals, took immediate massive action, started the
journey and have taken action every single day since then.

What I lacked in technical knowledge, I made up for with
massive action. Momentum.

What I lacked in financial backing, I made up for with
massive action. Momentum.

What I lacked in skill, I made up for with massive action.
Momentum.

Massive action = Momentum

Everything you ever do is much easier when you have
momentum.

I didn’t wait for everything to be perfect, for the economy
to be just right, for every circumstance to line up in my
favor- I just got started and took massive action.

I can assure you, whatever you want to do, whatever Goals
you aspire to achieve, whatever Dreams you yearn for, you
can have them. But not if you don’t ever begin and not if
you don’t commit to taking massive action right now today.

The ball is in your court. Always has been, always will
be.

You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it
going.

Whatever you lack, make can up for with massive action.

What can you do today to advance your most cherished Goal?

Take the first step and revise your plan as you go.

Do it.

Do it NOW.

Got Momentum?

Live Your Dreams

Jill Koenig

Jill Koenig, the “Goal Guru” is America’s Top Goal
Strategist. A best selling Author, Peak Performance Coach
and Speaker, she is an expert on the subjects of Goal
Setting, Time Management and Business Success. Her Goal in
life is to help you UNLEASH your untapped potential. Watch
free Goal Setting videos at http://www.GoalGuru.com/blog

Media Requests: Jill Koenig is a dynamic high energy tv and
radio guest available for interviews and corporate speaking
engagements.

Quote of the Day:

“A ship in port is safe,
but that’s not what ships are built for.”

-Grace Murray Hopper

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Turning Fear into Power: How to Transform Fear from Negative
to Positive Energy

Today I would like to talk about a topic I think every one
of us can relate to.

Fear.

The dictionary defines fear as: noun 1. an anxiety caused
by real or possible danger 2. pain, apprehension, concern

At one time or another we have all experienced the emotion
of fear.

There are so many variations of fear. Fear of the unknown,
fear of events outside of our control, fear of failure,
fear of success, fear of intimacy, fear of people who are
different from us, fear of ______(fill in the blank)_______.

I have found that at it’s very core, fear is simply a signal
or a call to action.  The ultimate purpose of fear is to
serve you.

There are two kinds of fear, what I call Stage 1 Fear and
Stage 2 Fear.

Stage 1 Fear is very real. It’s the fear that calls for
immediate action, for example, when your life or safety is
in immediate danger.  This is an all-consuming fear that
intuitively grips your gut, without thinking.  For example
when you’re walking down a dark street and you sense
danger. I mean it’s very serious and should not be ignored.
This fear most definitely serves you.

Stage 2 Fear, on the other hand is a little more
mysterious.  It surfaces whenever you move outside of your
comfort zone or  try something you’ve never done before.
For some it is a fear of flying, fear of heights, fear of
roller coasters, fear of being married, fear of being
divorced, fear of starting a business, fear of starting a
new career, fear of learning a new skill, etc.

Becoming aware of the two different kinds of fear allows
you to take a step back anytime you feel afraid so that you
can evaluate how it can serve you.  You can ask yourself, is
this stage 1 fear where I need to take immediate action,
disengage or change course -or- is this stage 2 fear, where
I am simply being faced with the opportunity of moving
beyond my comfort zone.

Stage 1 is usually a warning that requires immediate
attention, while Stage 2 Fear can actually be an invitation
towards something that is ultimately good for you.

Yes, it’s true, you can actually feel afraid of something
that is GOOD for you. 

You can be afraid of falling in love, speaking in front of
an audience, meeting new people, trying something you have
never tried before, starting a business, and so on.

Here is an example.

When I was 13 years old, in the 7th grade, myself and my
entire peer group spent our summer days at the park
district swimming pool.  There were actually 2 pools.  A
shallow pool for the little ones and a pool that had a
graduated depth from 3 feet to 15 feet where the diving
boards where.

Swimming pools are fantastic.  And being a kid, sun and fun
all summer long, what more could you ask for, right?

One tiny little problem… at 13 years old, I did not know
how to swim.

As all of my friends were swimming away into the deep end,
I was left clinging to the side of the pool in the shallow
end, terrified to let go.

Now let me be clear.  As my friends swam away, I was
without a doubt feeling Stage 1 Fear. I had every reason to
be afraid.  It would not have been wise to follow them into
the deep end at that time.

Being in any body of water, not knowing how to swim is
dangerous and potentially life threatening. Anything that
can end in serious injury or death should not be taken
lightly.  But there are risks involved in anything worth
doing in life.  I could have abstained from the activity
all together forever, but spending the rest of my life in
the kiddie pool was not appealing to me.  Forget about the
peer pressure, or the other kids making fun of me, I can
handle that.  But I could not handle missing out on all of
the fun they were having.  I did not want to go on one more
day, not to mention the rest of my life not knowing how to
swim.

I was staring in the face of the “Terror Barrier”

More on that later.

But at that moment, I made a decision.  I set a Goal and
decided I would learn how to swim.

Here is what I did:

Step 1. I asked my friends to swim past me in the shallow
end, while I held my nose and went underwater to see what
their arms and legs were doing as they swam by.  I observed
that the arms were doing one thing and the legs were doing
another thing and I thought hmmm, maybe I could do this.

Step 2. I went to the lifeguards and asked them to watch me
while I held onto the wall, where I proceeded to kick my
legs like my friends had done.  Interestingly, when I did
this I became somewhat buoyant.

Step 3.  I let go of the wall and swam a few feet out.
Then I swam back to the wall.  Imagine my surprise, I was
actually doing it, I was SWIMMING!

I don’t know if you know how to swim or how you learned,
but sometimes the longer you wait, the harder it becomes.
Seriously, that imaginary barrier can play tricks with your
mind if you don’t keep it in check.  I went from feeling
terrified, wishing I could swim, to deciding I would learn,
then taking immediate action to make it reality, all within
a few hours.

And by the end of the day, I was swimming in the deep end
and about a month later, I was jumping off the diving
boards in the deepest part of the pool. In fact, it was not
pretty or efficient, but I was swimming good enough to get
where I wanted to go.

The purpose of fear is to serve you.

The “Terror Barrier” is an imaginary line.

On one side is you and where you are now.

On the other side is your dream, your Goal.

Most people turn back when they reach the Terror Barrier.
They say, “no, I am too afraid, I am frozen, I’m turning
back and staying in my comfort zone where I feel safe.” And
they never step over the line to find out what they are
truly capable of.  They can’t see beyond the current
fright, when what is on the other side is so good.

But…

You cannot live your entire life holding on to the edge of
the pool.

Some of you are in an illusion that you are in Stage 1
Fear, you are terrified, but you actually in Stage 2 Fear,
with the perception of Stage 1.  You’re at the Terror
Barrier.

It’s just a matter of going beyond where you are now.

Put your safeguards in place whenever you can, find
yourself a mentor or coach and create a plan of action for
your Goal and start going after what you want. Whenever
possible, model those who went before you.

Now that I understand it, I have run ins with the
Terror Barrier on a daily basis. There are constantly new
things I want to learn or do that are waaaay outside of my
comfort zone.  I acknowledge the fear, evaluate the
situation and break through it.

Just like when I learned how to swim, it’s not always
pretty, but it’s good enough to get me where I want to go.

Most of the fear and worry people give their energy to is a
figment of their imagination.  99% of the worries and
anxiety of the world never happen.

Stop wasting energy being paralyzed by fear.

“A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built
for.”   -Grace Murray Hopper

Allow your fear to serve you.

Think of what dreams of yours have led you to the brink of
the Terror Barrier where you turned away?  Was this truly a
Stage 1 fear or was it Stage 2 (an illusion) ?

Write it down and email it to me if you’re ready to
break through it and make the dream a reality.

Live Your Dreams,

Jill Koenig

http://www.GoalGuru.com
Jill Koenig, the “Goal Guru” is America’s Top Goal Strategist.
A best selling Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker, she is
an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and
Business Success. Her Goal in life is to help you UNLEASH your
untapped potential. Learn cutting edge Goal Strategies at
http://www.GoalGuru.com