Star NFL running back Saquon Barkley has a book he wants you to read.

Barkley was recently asked by a reporter about how he handles adversity.

His reply?

"I believe I'm fearless. You have those moments where you question yourself and you lose trust in your faith, but you have to find ways to get it back."

This line of thought was sharpened by a book he strongly recommends all athletes read, "Victory Favors The Fearless", by author Darrin Donnelly.

Fears of negative outcomes, pain, and embarrassment are not unique to the world of sports.

But it certainly plays a massive role there.

Any time an athlete, no matter their age, consistently performs below their abilities it's a near guarantee that one or more fears are holding them back.

Donnelly suggests there are a handful of extremely common ones.

Fear of What Other People Think

What will my coaches say? My parents? My friends and teammates?

We rarely take risks if we think people will speak negatively about us.

This can cause many teenagers to simply not try their best, or act like they don't care, because these options allow them to say 'it didn't matter to me anyway' if they fail.

Fear of Change

Even when we know it's no longer in our best interests, we humans tend to avoid change because what might happen next could be worse.

It's easier to just follow the path we're on, there's no work to be done.

The results may not be ideal, but they are predictable.

The thing is, though, life is all about change.

Typically those who act swiftly and decisively when it's obvious the status quo isn't working find more success.

Fear of Making the Wrong Decision

Maybe you're not afraid to leave your comfort zone when you avoid change.

Perhaps it's because your afraid you aren't good enough to make the right choices that successful people seem to make.

The reality is everyone fails far more often than they succeed, even the people you admire most.

Not every decision we make works out, but.avoiding them completely guarantees they won't.

Fear of Not Being Good Enough

This is likely the cause of those who don't want to try out for a team, join a workout program, or face a high level opponent.

It can derail upset chances for lower ranked teams facing powerhouses, as they beat themselves before the game even starts.

There's always a chance you'll lose, whether or not the opposition looks better than you.

Giving your best effort and not succeeding is a perfectly acceptable outcome, because it'll move you a step closer to your next achievement.

Fear of Failure Being Permanent

Sports are a rollercoaster of successes and failures.

Oftentimes kids will internalize negative outcomes, framing it as though THEY are a failure.

This simply isn't the case.

Everyone makes mistakes, its how you respond to them that defines you.

Cushing Academy hockey coach Bill Troy encourages players to use the 5 Second Rule.

The 5 Second Rule simply means you spend five seconds getting as mad as possible about a mistake, but after that you completely let it go, moving on to the next moment.

Which is critical, because when our mind is fearful we can't stay in the moment.

In fact, you may be distracted from reading this right now because of something you're worried about.

No matter which fear is interfering with your positive thoughts, you'll be distracted from what's going on around you.

You'll react slower to threats and opportunities that present themselves during every minute of competition.

They're paralyzing, leading to sluggish performance.

Once you let go of these fears, though, you can get back to playing for the fun of the game.

You are free to once again have faith in your ability to make good things happen.

In other words, you'll play your best on a more consistent basis because your mind is fully present.

That's why, as Donnelly believes, victory truly favors the fearless.