Master Fear by Declawing It
Don't confuse the medium of emotion with the message.
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” — Jack Canfield
What keeps you from starting is the path to starting.
The path is not easy, and that is entirely the point. There is no such thing as rising to comfort. You rise instead to a challenge. The greater the friction, the greater the opportunity for growth.
I recently explored the root causes of friction in Life. One of them is Fear. Conditions like perfectionism, impostor syndrome and procrastination are the masks it wears. Most discussions on fear focus on the negative, but there is another side to consider.
Fear signals danger and challenges alike.
Anything beyond your comfort zone triggers fear wearing one of its many masks. Emotion is the medium of fear. Too often you conflate the medium with the message. You imagine the worst instead of simply reading the message.
And what is this message?
Danger! Fight! Run! This kind of fear is primal and serves to protect your life. Honor it. Respect it. And if your life isn’t in real danger, recognize that you have bitten off more than you can chew. Take smaller bites.
Approaching comfort zone! This kind of fear is a warning of increased risk to your body, mind, reputation, etc. It is a useful marker for understanding where your comfort ends and the possibility of growth begins.
Fear need not be a nameless, shapeless monster. Declaw it by separating the medium of emotion from the message. Use the urgency of the message to calibrate efforts outside of your comfort zone.
Choose to see fear and the friction it produces as a valuable traveling companion. It will keep you safe while always demanding your best.
🤔 Food for Thought:
How do you currently view fear?
Do you shun it, succumb to it or use it to your advantage?
Can you see fear as a welcome traveling companion?
⚙️ One Small Step:
The next time you experience one of fear’s guises, let the emotion of it pass. Then look in its wake to see the message. What does it say? How can you use it to your advantage?