
Have you ever purposely done something you were scared to do…just to overcome it? A few years back, I did. I went skydiving.
We had about an hour of instruction on the ground before gearing up and getting in the plane. Nerves were pretty low throughout that time as we learned positioning and safety rules. Even getting in the little puddle jumper of an aircraft and chugging our way to the dropzone wasn’t too stress provoking. And then…the instructor opened the door. Cold air assaulted my face with the forceful reality of what I was there to do, my heart pounding with such intensity I swore I could hear it over the roar of the engines. FEAR. At the precise moment of stepping into a new domain—the domain which I had planned and paid for months in advance to experience—I faced my greatest resistance to it.
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear” –George Addair
As you practice just noticing the fear and continuing your course anyway, your relationship with fear will transform. Instead of interpreting those threat signals as alarms to hold you back you will learn to read them as alerts to compel you forward—“Keep going! This is the right direction! It’s so uncomfortable…I must be on the right track!” Like a metal detector at the beach, the louder the signal the closer you are to buried treasure. Harness fear, and it will serve you instead of you serving it.
Harness fear, and it will serve you instead of you serving it.
I invite you to look at your relationships, work, health and spirit. Find a place where you feel stuck or stagnant. Do you see a habit of retreating to what is known and familiar in that area? What would it look like for you to be in a completely new action instead? What would have you REALLY come alive there? Does it scare the mess out of you? You may be on the right track.
Becky