Depending upon the degree of difficulty, you may need to take baby steps towards your goal. On the 10 point scale, holding a snake was off the charts, completely unthinkable. Broken down into tiny steps it went something like this:

1. Stand across the room with Caesar, uh, Boo-Boo, safe in his tank. Watch him slither around.
2. Stand somewhat nearby (yet far away from his head) while he is, yikes, wrapped around my boyfriend's arm.
3. Touch his creepy-crawly belly for a second while aforementioned boyfriend holds him seccurely.
4. Pet his scaly head. Again, boyfriend holding securely is critical.

Just as a game, put your toe into the water. Play with your comfort zone. Challenge yourself and take a baby step outside of it. You'll be surprised at the things you can actually do that you never dreamed possible. It's a powerful feeling.