Fear Is the Alarm That Sounds When There’s Work to Be Done

Did you know that the feeling of fear is a gift?

That doesn’t sound right, does it? Fear is a gift? Yes. It can be. When we feel fear and can distinguish that it’s false, we’re essentially being handed some kind of life lesson that we need to dig through.

Think about the last time you faced a fear and demolished it. Maybe you abhor broccoli but somehow managed to get it down without vomiting when your date included it in the romantic meal he made for you (high-five). Maybe you walked into your boss’s office and confidently told her all of the reasons you deserve that promotion (celebratory drinks are on me). Maybe you got up on stage and told your jokes to three hundred people and you didn’t pee your pants (high-five + fist bump). Whatever your memory serves up to you, think about how you felt after you faced your fear. So damn good, right? <— Gift.

Trust me, there are plenty of crappy things about false fear. They can keep you from living the life you were meant to live. They can stop progress in its tracks. Worse yet, fear breeds fear. So if you’re emanating stinky fear all of the time, chances are your stink is attaching to others, causing your fear to spread. Ick and eww.

But there is an upside, as I mentioned. When we feel false fear, we’re being alerted to a roadblock that’s keeping us from living the life we were meant to live and, more importantly, a chance for growth. We’re being handed an opportunity to sift through the muck associated with our fear, gain the courage to face it, and then walk away from it with wisdom and a new perspective, allowing us to move forward in our life rather than stay stuck. Best of all, we get the reward. We got the guy. We nailed the promotion. We’re now the famous comedian that travels the world not peeing our pants on stage. When we want something and face our fear to get it, we win. We get whatever it is we desired so much we lit fear on fire and watched it burn.

That’s a mighty gift if you ask me.

So, the next time your stomach plummets over something, rather than dropping dead from fear, consider instead that the bell has rung, my friend, and you got this. Twist at the waist, do some knee bends, let a few air punches fly…and then get in the ring.

Duck. Weave. Throw. Repeat.

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If you’d like more information on how to start living the life you were meant to live, reach out and see how I can help.