“Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire.” – Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

You hate your job, but you still come up with every excuse in the book not to change careers or start your own business. “I need a stable income”; “I can’t let my college degree go to waste”; “I don’t have the money to start a business.” Sound familiar?

Sure, these excuses might have an element of truth to them, but they likely aren’t the real reason you won’t make that change. It really comes down to fear: Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of change, fear of what everyone will say. So you play it safe and keep doing what makes you miserable instead of going after what you really want.

The good news is, you’re not alone… we all experience fear. What matters is what you do with that fear.

The Science of Fear: Fear or Anxiety?

In all fairness, fear is a necessary emotion. Without it, the human race probably would have died out years ago. Fear is what helps us protect ourselves from threats. But that type of fear is supposed to be for life-and-death situations. Your career change isn’t life or death, is it? So is it really fear you’re experiencing, or anxiety?

According to an article by Harriet Lerner in Psychology Today, we can usually distinguish the difference between fear and anxiety by our bodily experience. The sudden feeling like your heart is going to explode from your chest when someone holds a gun or knife to your back (fear = life and death) is different from the butterflies in your stomach when you have to face your boss for your performance review (anxiety = not life and death). So as long as we’re talking about achieving our goals, chances are we’re not talking fear, but anxiety.

Does your anxiety ramp up when it’s time to make that change in your life—a change you know is for the better?

Signs That Anxiety is Holding You Back

1. You Only See the Negative

There are pros and cons to almost everything, but if you only ever consider the downside to every situation, that means you’re letting anxiety and worry dictate your decisions and take over your life. There’s always a reason not do something, so instead of asking “why,” consider asking yourself “why not?” for a change.

2. You Never Try Anything New

Fear and anxiety can affect us in such a way that we try to avoid change, sticking to what we know—no matter how painful that status quo is. We get it, your dead-end job sucks, but you know you’ll still get paid at the end of the month.

So you’d rather stick to a steady paycheck than risk starting that business you’ve always dreamed of—because you worry it might fail. Think of it this way: Putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation might just be the motivation you need to succeed.

3. You Don’t Make Any Decisions

Some people make a conscious decision to stay in one place, and they’re content with that decision. However, others spend their entire life second-guessing themselves and doing everything they can not to make any hard choices. The latter group often finds that life happens to them because they haven’t chosen a path at all—instead, they’ve let the path choose them. A decision is made for them.

While that may seem like an easier route to take—just going with the flow—it also means that you aren’t taking control of your life path. Is that any way to live?

Courage is not the Absence of Fear

Fear or anxiety is not always bad. It is wise to listen to your amygdala and proceed with caution before undertaking something potentially risky. What you don’t want is to let fear or anxiety take over and prevent you from progressing in life.

Yes, it can be difficult to ignore that little voice in your head telling you to go back to your comfort zone, but taking that step forward could be the change you need to bring more positivity into your life. Fear will always be present, what matters is how you react to it.

“Bran thought about it. ’Can a man still be brave if he is afraid?’ ‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.” – George R.R Martin, A Game of Thrones