Fear is a reflex – and an important one. People often talk about fear as if it’s some kind of weakness, but it’s a reflex that has allowed the human race to evolve to where it is. It’s what kept our ancestors from walking off cliffs, punching lions in the nose, burning their hand in the fire and it’s what keeps us from walking out into traffic, jumping out of planes without a parachute.
Fear is the essence of survival.
The secret is not to be FEARLESS – that’s something you can’t achieve. The secret is to know the fear, feel the fear, and choose COURAGE instead. Courage is not the absence of fear – to do something that holds no fear, takes no courage.
You’re always going to feel FEAR. What you choose to do when you feel it – to let it control you or to push through it – determines not only how financially successful you’ll be in life, but also how happy you’ll be.
Courage is ignoring the little voice inside that tries to dissuade you from what you deserve. By this definition, something as simple as telling your own story, placing an ad or signing up for a webinar can be a great act of courage.
One of my favourite quotes from a recent movie:
“All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage.”
Action is often that fast. It’s a decision to push past the fear, to have courage and do it anyway. Better to deal with the fear and anxiety AFTER doing it, than overwhelming yourself and NEVER doing it. And as my sister says, anticipation is worse than actuality. You often find that what you feared doesn’t happen, or is a lot easier to deal with than you imagine.
Thinking about getting on the phone, or public speaking, or bungee jumping or anything else, lets your imagination take over – and if you’re anything like me, that can mean a lot of crazy outcomes! In real life, once you take action and start speaking or jumping, you’re generally fine.
I challenge you to commit an act of courage today, no matter how small, and take stock of how you feel and how it could change your life to choose courage every day.