Fear. We've all been there at one time or another. Maybe you've been sitting on the idea of launching your business or scaling that side hustle. Perhaps you're waiting for the perfect time to ask for that raise, promotion, or a hand in marriage. Maybe it's the fear of the unknown that's kept you from pursuing that small business loan or the idea of going back to school that keeps you up at night in cold sweats. Fear sucks. I hate fear - truly. I'm grateful for our success at BetterHumans, and I'm excited for our future. I want to be honest - fear is still present. With every new business opportunity, with every pitch, with every new client - even as I write this blog post - fear is a voice that whispers to me from my past: you're not good enough, you're going to mess this up, they are out of your league. And therein lies the reality and the secret of fear - in some small way, that cruel inner voice is trying to keep us safe. But safe from what exactly? Exactly!
The reality is fear does have a primal purpose for us. If we run into a bear, it can ensure we have the muscle and blood supplies to sprint like Carl Lewis to safety. Pause here and google Carl Lewis - you're welcome. Fear can help us identify areas and barriers that we need to push through; however, fear can't help us get beyond what we've identified and move forward - it just leaves us there - alone, scared, frustrated, and without movement. Fear is incapable of launching, sustaining, or supporting ongoing outcomes of our efforts. To grow as humans and leaders, we must recognize fear as a voice we can identify, examine, and be quiet. It can be hard to get beyond what the voice of fear is trying to do for us; after all, it is an emotion that feels as real as the idea. It's an emotion that starts and ends within us, so we can't look to anyone else but the human in the mirror to help us get beyond what fear is working towards. Have you seen the video of the ant stuck in an imaginary barrier?
Check this out:
Friends, I think our goals and dreams are often represented by the ant, trapped by a circle of fear WE've drawn. The cirle is present sure, but it can't truly keep us from progress, we just imagine it can. For the ant in the video, the fumes from the pen likely keep it from crossing over. There's hope for us; if we're the ones drawing the circles, we can become mindful of the actions we're putting in place and use that awareness to create choices for ourselves. This is where the value of a good coach can be leveraged. The fact that you can see an aspirational future ahead of you is as real as the voice of fear. By focusing on what's ahead of us on the path, we can use that pen to make lists, draw pictures, write songs and sonnets - we no longer need to draw circles around our dreams and call it self-preservation. At BetterHumans, our coaches leverage your aspirations to help you create achievable plans and consistent behaviors so you can speak back to fear and break into discoveries to move your life, business, and career forward.
Comments