Face the Fear and DO it anyway...
Face the fear and do it anyway!
I know this longing. It has always been there. And most of the time I had really no idea where it would lead me. But I always took the step that was presented to me. Well, at least if I recognized it! I probably missed tons of changes right in front of me anyway… But guess what? The universe is so incredibly friendly!! It will put new opportunities right in front of us again!
Lots of people see fear as a ‘sign’ not to do it. It might be ‘dangerous’, they might get ‘hurt’, somebody might think they are ‘strange, bad, wrong’… And hey, fear has its value! It warns us when a car is approaching too fast, it pops up when our kids are on the edge of a high balcony… That fear is real, it’s a ‘gut-feeling’ that action is required to be safe again.
But there is this other fear… it’s like a hairy worm that tries to prevent us from growing. Every time we take a next step, it will be there… Every time we exit our comfort zone it calls for us to get back home, get back in the safety zone. But in this comfort zone, we cannot grow! Even worse, we will shrink!!! Cause there is nothing else apart from growing or shrinking! Stability is an illusion! Develop or Die, that’s the only option. Cause if you don’t take your steps to develop yourself, you ARE dying! Confronting? Well, it’s up to you….
I very well remember leaving my hometown when I was 18 years of age to go to university in Amsterdam. My parents didn’t like it, cause Amsterdam is ‘dangerous’, it’s full of drugs addicts, crime, murder, rape… at least people from the other side of the Netherlands often think it is. I went anyway and it gave me a new perspective. The diversity of people in Amsterdam probably gives a lot more freedom and mutual respect than the narrow-minded view of some people in other parts of the country.
I remember after university traveling to America. Working in a summer camp for 9 weeks and then travel the States on my own for another 9 weeks. In a very old car, that used almost as much oil as gaz. Hiking all the nature parks alone.
Scary? Yeah! There have been nights I hardly slept because I thought I heard a bear outside my very small, one layer tent. There was this time on the side of a lake were I saw crocodiles in the water and still had to go to sleep in that same little tent. There was this dear, suddenly jumping in front of me on a trail, preventing me to take a next step. Luckily, cause that next step would have been on a rattle snake which would probably have killed me.
But the experience of this trip on my own, had so much value for the rest of my life! Being able to find my own path, trust my instincts and experience the incredible beauty of this planet. Can you believe I had seen so many awesome places that when I finally hiked down in the Grand Canyon I thought it was a bit boring?!
And because I stepped into faith, this gift was given to me. That didn’t mean I was reckless! I did take care. I never hiked after sunset. I locked my food in the car, so that bears wouldn’t enter my tent. I watched the people around and trusted my instincts on that. One night I had to pull a trick on a man who seemed to be overly nice to me and my gut-feeling said something was VERY wrong. I played nice and made him get Chinese and in the time he was gone I very quickly got everything back in my car and drove off as fast as I could and that night I slept in a motel. The only night.
What if I had listened to my fears: wow, this is scary, I’ve never done that, what if…. I would probably have never gone and would have missed out on some awesome experiences. And still, I just KNEW when there were real dangers. I KNEW or someone or something took care of it. Like the dear…
I remember the first time I had to speak for a large audience. I was so scared! I didn’t think I had anything worthwhile to say and I thought everyone could hear my inexperience, my lack of knowledge, my so self called ‘mediocrity’.
Did I let that stop me? NO! I said yes, faced my fear, put on the coolest boots I had to make me feel grounded, and did it anyway. And kept on doing it. My first talk in English. Said yes first (hey, opportunity!) and then thought; what the hack did I do, how will I survive? Was so scared back stage that I had to jump up and down to get myself grounded again, but did it anyway.
And just recently I flew over for a training in San Francisco. Could have waited till the same training would come over to Europe. That would be only 3 months. And I could go with my friends. It would be more ‘safe’. It would be cheaper. But I just knew inside I had to go NOW, be out there on my own.
Trust my own instinct and do it. Was I afraid? O yeah! Did I doubt my decision? Big time! I even got very nauseous the week before I left. Did that stop me? On the contrary! When I feel this nauseous fear, this jelly legs, this restless thoughts flying around, I just KNOW that is exactly what I have to do, where I have to go.
Because there is something that will make me grow, that will get me out of my comfort zone and get me into new experiences.
Dare to Dream!
I may have an endless stream of questions
Will I fail?
Will I be left alone with nothing?
The truth is, this can only happen if I don’t follow my dreams
I was born to move boldly towards my highest dreams
am here to be fully alive!
I will wait no longer
hat knows how to fulfill them
Diana Loomans (1997)
I may have an endless stream of questions
Will I fail?
Will I be left alone with nothing?
The truth is, this can only happen if I don’t follow my dreams
I was born to move boldly towards my highest dreams
am here to be fully alive!
I will wait no longer
hat knows how to fulfill them
Diana Loomans (1997)
It says it all, doesn’t it? And of course this poem did come at a time in my life I very much needed to read this again, to step into my next step of greatness. Which scares me to death. And I guess if you read this text right now, you are probably just about to take your next step…. Just go for it! Face the fear and do it anyway!!!
YesImReady@empoweringcenter.nl