Overcoming Fear
Overcoming fear is something everyone deals with when they are stretching out of their comfort zone. It is a constant struggle of ‘Can I do that? I can’t do that. Dang it! I’m going to do that!’ and hopefully you don’t stop at the ‘I can’t’ stage.
There are many acronyms for FEAR, my two all-time favorites are:
F*ck Everything And Run
False Evidence Appearing Real
And I just found another one that resonates with what fear really is: Feeling Excited And Ready.
What is Fear?
You see, fear is a deep seated survival tactic that has kept the human species alive. When seeing a saber-toothed tiger, our ancestors threw down their spears said “F*ck Everything And RUN!” This action saved their lives and was appropriate for the situation.
However, in modern times, we rarely have true ‘F*ck it all’ moments. The fear we feel on any given normal day is more in the lines of the False Evidence or the Feeling Excited genres. BUT our bodies tend to react the same way…it just doesn't know any better.
When you find yourself feeling stuck or immobile, you’re in the False Evidence realm. This is when all the stories come up and bombard you with their tales of woe and pain. It can become overwhelming.
Transforming Fear
The best ways to transform these stories is to:
#1 BREATHE: Slow down just a tad and get some oxygen to your brain so that you can actually think and reason.
#2 WRITE IT DOWN: Take a moment to write all those stories down on paper. It doesn’t have to be coherent, just jot down the main points of each story and its conclusion. You are not looking for solutions here, just getting the “facts” and “worries” so that you can objectively review them.
#3 REVIEW THE STORIES FOR TRUTH: Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Reread your notes and stories as your adult self. Are these stories from younger years? How old were you when you first heard that disparaging word? Then ask yourself, are you that age now? Have you learned anything new since then? Is it possible that you’ve learned a thing or two and are in a different situation in which you could easily move forward without that “scary thing” happening again? What’s the TRUTH today?
Chances are you’ve grown since those stories happened, you’ve learned new skills and have new perspectives that will help you move forward.
Overcoming Fear
Using this new information and seeing what’s really TRUE today will shift the False Evidence into Feeling Excited and give you the energy and motivation to step over the line of comfort and into the realm of growth.
In the book The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks writes “Fear is excitement without the breath.” When you hold your breath, you become immobile. This is why BREATHE is #1 on the list. When you breathe, your body is in motion. Your chest rises, your lungs fill, and your heart is pumping all the oxygen to all the parts of your body in readiness for something amazing.
Then you need to remind yourself of the truth of your situation. All those things that happened before were learning experiences. Overcoming fear requires that you take those lessons and use them to navigate the obstacles that show up. Don’t let them stop you in your tracks. And surround yourself with people who love you and want to see you succeed, whatever that means for YOU!
Get excited for your next steps and saddle up, because life is a wonderous, wild ride and it would be a shame to miss it.
If you’re ready to take a breath and step onto the Dream Life ride, I invite you to join me in the next Dream BIG webinar happening on May 23rd. Click HERE to register, it’s FREE! Let’s make your BIG Dreams happen!