Fear is truly our biggest dream buster. The rain on our parade. The liquorice in our candy-bag (yuckkkkkk).
Fear is scary. Fear is overwhelming. Fear ultimately and in its simplest form is being scared. Scared of the unknown. Scared of what people may say. Scared of what others may think. Scared of failure. Scared of something that as of now, you do not know the outcome of.
We feel fear to keep us safe. To keep us where we are because the unknown is scary. We’re not sure what will happen. So, it keeps you where you are. Stuck.
It keeps us from our dreams. It’s an energy that blocks. That prevents you from moving forward. I’m not saying that being where you are is wrong. Is bad. Or something to be ashamed of but fear appears when there is a desire for something new. Something different. Something bigger. Something else.
We can feel it for so many reasons. You may be afraid to have a conversation. Afraid to try something new. Afraid to apply for a new job. Afraid to switch careers. Afraid to say hello. Afraid to speak up. Afraid to go on that trip by yourself. Afraid to move to a new city.
There are endless reasons.
I myself can tick so many of these boxes.
But isn’t it through our experiences that we live? Through the good, the bad, the funny, the ugly? Isn’t that how we create the stories to tell our grandchildren? The ones where we showed up courageously? Where we followed our dreams? Or followed the little nudge that we had instead of hesitating and not doing it?
We can’t allow our fears to conquer us. To win and determine how we show up in life.
So, the best way to let it go, is to face it head on.
We start by understanding it. By seeing it eye to eye. By normalizing it. To talk to it like you would a child. For example, if I’m afraid to switch careers, I ask myself what deep rooted fear below it is. Is it financial? Is it what people will think? Is it a change in identity? Is it the unknown? Find it and look it in the eye.
What is the real underlying reason for this fear?
Once you’ve identified the reason for this fear, ask yourself how you can move past it? Or how you can let it go and ultimately what you need for this fear to hold less power over you? Is it a gentle conversation with yourself telling yourself that you will be alright and that you are loved no matter what you do? Is it a deep dive into your finances to know that you can start that new business and still pay rent?
Only then can you move through it and not let it hold you back.
Sometimes it’s a recognition of your desire and allowing it to be greater than your fear.
A fear may feel huge. It may feel overwhelming. It can feel like a heavy weight on your body. Something pressing down. Physically keeping you from taking action. However, when we normalize it. When we see it for what it is, we can address it.
If you allow fear to hold you back, you allow it to hold power over you. You choose to allow it to hold this power over you. So its about taking back control. You have the choice – do you want to stay exactly where you are or do you want to look yourself in the mirror at night knowing that you took one courageous step today. Even if it was small. Knowing that you lived life just a little bit more today than you did yesterday?
Let’s live life for the experiences and take a small jump into the uncomfortable together today.
X Felice