“Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway.”
-Dr. Robert Anthony
A few days I met with new client who is looking to change careers, I asked him these questions. What if you woke up one morning and all your fears were gone? What would that feel like? What would your life be like? What if you were guaranteed success? What if you could not fail? He had a tough time answering the questions and I completely identified with him because I have also been there, wanting to change careers but having fear stop me.
When following my dream of being a personal development coach and leaving my career as an educator I was very fearful. I was fearful, because I was walking into the unknown. There was no real certainty, no real guarantees. I feared failure, I feared the humiliation I would face if I did not succeed. This was a constant worry that would take me away from my present and transport me to a future that may never be. This type of negative thinking did nothing for me, but cause stress in my life. I had to decide let go of the security of my job for the uncertainty of what was to come, and that taught me courage. I also realized that worst case scenario thinking really does not prepare you for anything! It just paralyzes you, stops you from going after your dream and living the wonderful life you deserve. Today I want to talk about your fears and how you must not worry about those fears until you have to worry about them.
Get comfortable with fear.
How do you get comfortable with fear? When fear comes into your life say hello to it. It is important to knowledge why you may be fearful. Also, be ok with uncertainty. For example, I worried about falling in my coaching business. Understandably so, there was fear in the uncertainty. But why should I focus on something that has not happen? Why not deal with it when and if it gets here? Does it contribute to something positive in my life to worry? No, quiet on the contrary it took away from the joy. People who life in constant fear, would argue that fear can prepare you for worst case scenarios, to this I say why are we going there yet? Why not worry about it when you truly have to worry about. What if those horrible things that, “could,” happen to you never happened? Imagine all that time wasted on nonsense when you could have lived in joy!
Kill fear with positive thoughts.
You kill fear with positive thought. You let go of the negative, “what if’s,” and focus on the best case scenarios. It’s that feeling of everything will be alright, the sense that you are supported that you should always be seeking. A positive mind is a positive life. Imagine your life in glory and it shall became that. Imaging your life in chaos and that it will be. You are that powerful. You are what you believe and your positive or negative thoughts is where it starts. Have the courage to practice faith. Know that you are supported by something greater than yourself.
Gratitude is the key.
Let’s imagine that your worst case scenario did come to life. Well it’s time to worry about it! But you don’t worry about it by focusing on how awful things are. You focus on your blessings, you focus on the fact that you are still standing, if it left you not standing, focus that you are ALIVE! Once you do that know your strength. Know that you have been there before, and you have overcome. Yes, you are that amazing. Remember last time, the pain you went through? Did it kill you? No, because here you are. Still strong, moving along in this journey called life. Know your worth, know that you are powerful and you will overcome every obstacle that is presented!
So, will you chose courage instead of fear? Have the courage to kill fear by getting comfortable with fear, staying positive and practicing gratitude. Know that you have a pretty good track record of getting through difficult times. Until next Monday, Believe. Change. Become.
Live fearlessly!
NancyJ