One of the things that stops us from living the kind of life we ​​want to live is fear. When we learn how to combat fear, we start to open doors for ourselves. We develop the strength to take risks and put ourselves out there without worrying excessively about how we look, what others think or looking foolish. This article looks at ways of combating fear in order that we can move forward and live our ideal lives.

Try these simple tips for combating your own fears:

Split your tasks

One thing that can stop us from moving forward is overwhelm. This can come about as a result of us feeling that we have too much to deal with. This in turn can be the result of our projects feeling too big and insurmountable for us to tackle.

For this reason it is best to split larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks which are then split into individual activities before. Once this is done, schedule the activities. There are numerous tools you can use for this. They include a diary, a 'to do list', your mobile phone, a task management facility (eg Outlook) or an Excel spreadsheet.

The tool you use is your decision, but it should include a facility that enables you to re-prioritise the activities, manage deadlines and strike off activities once they are completed.

Research, research, research

If you have a particular fear one of the ways you can look to combating it is to research into the kinds of strategies you can use to overcome it. Go to your local library. Are there books there on the fear of say public speaking – if that is your issue? Check out the 'Popular Psychology' section of your local bookstore.

You don't necessarily have to buy a huge number of books, just the ones that 'speak to you' in that moment. By thumbing through the rest, you can get a good 'feel' for the sort of concepts they describe, the language they use and the tools they suggest.

What can you find on your particular fear on the internet? There are a range of websites on the 'net dedicated to giving you valuable tools, tips and information on how you can overcome your fears. The good news is that if you're going through it someone else has been through it too.

The more specifically you can identify your fears, the easier your research will be. Not only will you be dispelling your fear by taking targeted action, you'll be learning useful information that you can use for the rest of your life.

Do not expect fear to disappear

Expect fear to appear in your life. Accept it as an inevitable part of your life and use it to indicate to you that you need to take action. Use fear as a gauge or a tool to show you that you need to be doing something. Often fear itself just seems scarier than it actually is. By expecting fear to disappear you're not only burying your head in the sand, you're also denying the fact that fear has an important role to play – and that is to keep you safe.

So the next time you feel the fear of public speaking, meeting someone new or working towards a new goal avoid questioning why it's there, or expecting it to disappear by itself. Instead, question what message it's trying to give you.

What actions are your fears telling you that you need to engage in to dispel that fear? What research do you need to do? What help do you need to ask for? Or what preparations do you need to make? Accept fear as an important ally and you'll be on your way to combating it.