Each week, on the TV show, Fear Factor, a group of contestants compete in a series of frightening stunts as they vie for $50,000 in cash. Many of the stunts require them to perform tasks while suspending high in the air or submerged in water. However, by far, the most difficult stunts involve insects and snakes. In some stunts, the contestants are required to eat live insects and in other stunts, the contestants must climb into a tank crawling with snakes or be covered from head to toe with beetles.

And while fear gets the best of some contestants causing them to drop out of the competition, a surprising number of contestants continue on in the competition. Now, you may wonder what would make someone subject themselves to such fearful circumstances. However, the answer is comes down to one simple reason. Actually, it comes down to 50,000 reasons - the money.

These people have a direct payoff in mind when they step into a tank of sharks or agree to eat a bucket of pig intestines. This payoff allows them to work beyond their fear and discomfort because the end result - $50,000 - is greater than their temporary discomfort. In essence, they focus on the rewards and not on the fear.

Well, if you want to conquer your fear factor, you must do the same thing. For example, if fear is preventing you from starting your own business, it's because you're paying too much attention to the downside of starting your own business - not having a stable paycheck, the difficulty in getting funding, dealing with employees and customers, etc. And trust me, as someone who has run several businesses, these are legitimate fears. Yet, they pale in comparison to the benefits of running a successful business - the feeling of pride and accomplishment, the freedom to set your own schedule, the ability to set your own goals and priorities, the possibility of becoming wealthy, etc.

The simple truth of the matter is that what you have to gain by starting your own business dwarfs what you have to lose. This is the same with almost everything. What you have to gain by losing weight or quitting smoking is far greater than the short-term pain you'll endure in the process. What you have to gain by submitting your poetry to a publisher or entering your prized artwork in the local contest greatly surpasses what you have to lose by being rejected.

Yet, sadly, many people allow fear to hold them hostage because they focus on the wrong side of the equation. In a sense, they're looking into a microscope instead of through a telescope. Therefore, instead of seeing the massive opportunities that lie in front of them, they magnify the tiny obstacles in their path.

Interestingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about this phenomenon once in an interview. He was explaining his transformation from B-movie actor to mega superstar. He said, "One day, I was realized that I was looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope and it was up to me to turn it around and make everything bigger and brighter." I think this statement applies to most of us. So many people are living beneath their privilege because they've taken the wrong perspective on life. Instead of focusing on the possibilities, they focus on the problems.

This is what the contestants on Fear Factor do and they're only competing for $50,000. In all likelihood, you're competing for a lot more. You have the opportunity to make all of your dreams come true. And more importantly, you have the opportunity to make the most out of your dash - to accomplish your destiny. With all of that to gain, surely you can look past your fears and towards your future.