Fear

Remember Halloween as a kid? It was so fun to get dressed up and become someone or something totally different. You knew who you were trying to be and had a good time playing the part, maybe especially if your costume could frighten other people.

Remember heading up to a house to get your candy, but the front porch was decorated super scary? Cobwebs, boiling cauldrons of who-knows-what, cackling laugh tracks on the hidden speakers, some creepy costumed man standing in the doorway waiting for you to approach.

Everything you wanted (candy!) was on the other side of that fear.

But for the prize set before you, you endured. You did it. You felt the fear, but did it anyway.

See where I’m headed with this? You’ve got things in life that you’re wanting to do. Maybe it’s traveling somewhere far, far away. Perhaps you’re wanting to approach your boss for a raise, or switch careers altogether. Ever thought about starting your own business? Or maybe you’re wanting to go back to school or take up a new hobby.

All of these scenarios can make us feel fear, because everything we haven’t done is new and different and scary.

Sometimes fear is a good thing (like don’t jump out that 3rd story window and don’t take drugs), but other times fear holds us back from trying new and meaningful things in life. 

Fear is a thought that produces a chemical reaction inside us. For many, fear is literally felt in our bodies. Headaches, tense shoulders, digestive issues, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, clenched jaw, fatigue… sound familiar?

But if fear is holding you back from something new you want to do in your life, you’re going to need to find a way around it. You’re telling yourself a story, and that story is stopping you from doing something. You need to tell yourself a different story.

Be that kid that brazenly walks past the cobwebs, past the boiling cauldron, and faces the creepy costumed man at the door. Sometimes you’ve got to feel the fear and do it anyway. Push past your fear and go for your goals.

The sweet stuff awaits.

What about you?

What is fear stopping you from pursuing?