The Truth About Fear

{flickr photo by: stuant63}

The Scary Truth About Fear

I have to confess something…

You may try to hide from it, avoid it and do nothing so that it wouldn’t find you. But no matter what you or don’t do…

Fear never goes away.

In fact, the more you really live your life, the more you reach out there into the unknown, the more you will feel the fear.

But here’s the honest to goodness truth.

As Ms. Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing!”

Facing Your Fears

Yesterday, I did something that to be honest scared me poopless. I created a group where one person asks a question and everyone responds with answers. I had the idea and was excited about it. But on more than one occasion, I broke out in a cold sweat wondering if anyone would come.

It felt like the lonely desert. I could almost hear the sound of tumbleweeds tumbling across the sand.

Thankfully this brave soul garnered the courage to ask an insightful question and a few others brought up reflective, thoughtful questions in response! (Thanks you guys!)

But it was scary!

To be honest, every day I hit return to release a Tweet or write an update on Facebook, I take a deep breath and cross my fingers. Every day that I interview someone for a story, or send out a query or a job application, I do a little mini prayer. I know it’s silly, but it’s how I deal with the fear.

Because I know that the more successful I become, the more fears I will have to overcome.

In fact, it’s a requirement.

Here’s another truth about fear.

Every successful person you admire and want to emulate has and is currently dealing with fear. They have just learned how to deal with the little ones so that they can attack the BIG ones.

How to Deal With Fear

1. You remind yourself that failure isn’t the big F word. Failure is the little f word. It is your friend. Fail and get up fast and you will become successful. Learn from it. Ask it what it’s trying to tell you. Failure is never “The End” unless you quit. Failure is the beginning of the journey to success.
   




2. Think about what your life would have been like if you hadn’t taken that big risk (quit your job, present a new scary idea to your group, follow your calling). Think about what your life will be like if you don’t do whatever it is that is scaring you right now.
   




3. Be kind to yourself. If you are reading this, I can bet you are an overachiever. I imagine that you are a perfectionist, someone who strives to be great. And the one thing holding you back? Yourself. Why? Because negative thoughts, self-sabotage and self-criticisms are beating you up from the inside out. All that talk is adding to your fears. Calm the raging monkey by meditating, journal writing, talking with a positive supportive friend. Talk back to it by saying, “So what if I didn’t get that job?! I will get the next one.”

Life isn’t supposed to be easy. Sometimes fear is a sign that you are on the right path. So what are you waiting for?

P.S.Thank you Cathy Miller for reminding me that my original font was too light for human eyes! Will be using a darker one from now on. =)