Your Fear Has Personal Power - Lean Into It!
Joshua 1:9 AMP “Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
When you hear the word FEAR, what comes to mind? Do you think of a scary movie? Do you think about a goal you have abandoned because of FEAR? What feelings do you experience when you hear the word FEAR? Fear is a normal reaction that warns our bodies to be careful. Anxiety is a type of fear, dealing more with worry and the future, rather than fearing something that is present.
Did your feelings of fear increase in the last year due to the pandemic? Did your feelings of fear increase when you lost your job? You may be one of the most confident people out there, but when life happens ... fear and anxiety can make an appearance.
EMPOWER YOURSELF WHEN EXPERIENCING “FEAR”
#1 LEARN ABOUT YOUR FEAR
This is very hard to do, but it has great rewards. Remember in the movie the "Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy and the others are afraid as they encounter the Wizard. He appears to Dorothy as a giant head with a booming voice, fire....and creating fear. Later, it is not until the dog, Toto, pulls back the curtain exposing the "Wizard" as a con man operating machinery. Once they saw the man, the fear went away because they realized what was behind the curtain was not as powerful as they imagined.
Learning more about your fear is the same thing. You can’t overcome a fear that remains hidden in your subconscious. When you turn in the direction of your fear, you discover things about it and you, which leads to you overcoming it.
#2 CHANGE THE NARRATIVE
Turn your "should've, could've, would've into I MUST." Give yourself no other option but to succeed (personally and professionally) and accomplish all that you want to achieve. Excuses go out the window. Change your narrative when it comes to fear.
Tony Robbins once shared, "Imagine yourself when you are 80 years old, nearing the end of your life. You are sitting in your rocking chair, reflecting on how you lived your life. Now, look back on your life as if you had not achieved the goal you are after at this moment in your life. How has this affected the course of your life? What are your regrets? What do you wish you had made more time for? What do you wish you had tried? Is there sadness and regret? Are you wondering, “What if…?” In this way, you can use fear to propel you toward your ultimate goal."
#3 WRESTLE FREE FROM FEAR
If you were trying to move forward by walking down a sidewalk and someone held onto your ankles so you could not move…what would you do? You would be upset and wrestle your feet free. Why would you let someone hold you back physically and keep you from reaching your destination? Fear is the same way. While it is trying to protect you, you need to thank the fear for protecting you and then move on. Wrestle free from it so that it no longer has a grip on you.
#4 WHY FEAR?
Positive thoughts may not always eliminate the fear right away or permanently, so it is important to know WHY you are holding onto the fear. What are you afraid of? Why does the fear have control over you? Do you fear relationships, fear of success, fear of failure, fear of not accomplishing your goals….? Once you lean into the WHY you have the fear and unpack it, you can be set free from it and in that process, you will recognize the future signs of fear much quicker and put it to rest without keeping you from moving forward.
“Whatever you fear most has no power – it is your fear that has the power.” —Oprah Winfrey
MASTER YOUR FEAR AND USE IT FOR YOU
Oddly, fear can be a tool to help you move forward and find fulfillment and joy. Discover how to stop living in fear or flip the narrative and use fear as your ultimate inspiration.
“Life doesn’t happen to you it happens for you,” —Tony Robbins
What is it about fear? - Fear is a normal emotion that signals a potential threat to your physical or emotional safety. What is driving the fear? Something drives our emotions. It can be a memory, an event, hurt, joy, happiness…you name it. Name what is driving your fear and go in reverse.
1. What triggered the fear?
2. Who is involved with the fear?
3. Is fear protecting me or hindering me?
4. Where do I need to place this fear?
It seems odd that pain, discomfort, or fear can work for us…. but again, flipping the narrative and realizing that fear knocks on everyone’s door. The problem is that some of us open the fear door quicker and more often (me included). Every time fear knocks on the door, you have so many seconds to respond. How will you respond? Recognizing the fear for what it is allows you to assert yourself by using your own personal power and mental strength. This puts you in control and not the fear. Before long, your mindset will change. Take charge of your life and learn how to stop living in fear.
Become comfortable with being uncomfortable - There isn’t one successful person in the world who hasn’t had to overcome major obstacles. When you feel uncomfortable, it can be a sign that it is time to pivot, make a change, follow your heart or head into a new direction. It can be a sign that some things or people need to exit your life. It could be that you are on the right track, it’s just that our confidence hasn’t caught up with the moment yet. Lean into it the uncomfortable and learn from it. By the way, failure will also stop at your door and that is good. Realize this happens to everyone. It is part of the process. Get out of the comfort zone!
Do a Mindset Reset - See all of the above!
“Every ‘no’ gets you closer to a ‘yes,’” — Entrepreneur Mark Cuban
When you hear “NO” don’t let fear keep you from getting to your “YES.” The same with uncomfortableness. If you are NOT feeling slightly uncomfortable at times in your life, you may not be putting yourself out there and not moving forward. Fear doesn’t want you to feel uncomfortable….it wants to protect you from it. The more you practice getting out of your comfort zone and leaving fear behind, the better you will handle those times of uncomfortableness. I know, I still have to work at it. Recently, I have been dealing with fear as I step out and do new things with coaching business and it took me awhile to figure it out where it was coming from. Once I recognized the why behind it and where it was showing up….I was able to push through it. I made a conscious decision to face the fear, lean into it and make it work for ME! Now I pull back the curtain on fear and see what wonderful things, people and opportunities are on the other side. It is all good!
