Meet My New Friend…Her Name is Fear

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

I don’t know if fear is necessarily brought up around me all the time, or if it is just something that I have become keen to in the past two weeks. Regardless, fear, talk of fear, people not doing things OUT of fear, have been surrounding me. First, I wonder why…then I wonder…where does that get us?

My dear friend, David Cain, believes most of us operate our lives out of fear. Perhaps fear is what drives some folks…makes them do the constructive things they do. On the flip side, I wonder how many lives are paralyzed because of fear. How many people DON’T do things, or reach their ultimate potential or goals because they’re afraid? And really, what are they afraid of? Failure? Success? Actually having to commit to something?

I remember when I did my first blog ever. I was reading other people’s blogs, loved the insights, loved the personalities of my favorites… (Locals- Kyle Lacy, Lorraine Ball, Doug Karr…Non-locals, Seth Godin and Chris Brogan…there are lots more, but this is where I STARTED.) Okay, so I am reading all these blogs…I have a crapload to say, I am fairly good at articulation (I think)…and I want to write. It was weeks before I actually did. Why? Freaking fear. Fear of wondering what someone like Kyle would think. Fear of what Indiana would think. Almost like, ‘what kind of authority do you have?’ kind of thinking. How lame is that? What did I do? I confronted it. I put it out there. The funny thing is, other bloggers out there, myself now included, ENCOURAGE you to get out there and use your voice. So the very people I was afraid of were and ARE the ones cheering me on.

This goes way deeper than my little “do I begin a blog or not?” dilema. I was having breakfast with a good friend on Monday morning, and she was telling me about this phenomenal business idea that she has. The thing is, it’s just there, hanging out in her head for the past 11 years. It’s a business idea that could change people’s lives! I’m screaming to her “GET IT OUT!” Why? Well, if you think about it, action begins at point a. What is point a? Most likely making a couple of freaking phone calls. Point b, point c…the list goes on. Sure, there’s a big picture, but along the way to the big picture, are the small victories we accomplish in preparation for the ultimate goal.

My call to action: Dig deep for the meaning behind the fear, then confront it. Make the effing call. Find out what you need to do. (This goes for any area of life…relationships, jobs, sales, kids, beginning a company.) One of my favorite quotes is by Tim Ferriss-“Success can be measured in the number of uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have.”

Begin that conversation with yourself…

As Ani Difranco so perfectly sings in her song, Swan Dive-”They can call me crazy if I fail…all the chance that I need…is one in a million and they can call me brilliant…if I succeed…gravity is nothing to me…moving at the speed of sound…just gonna get my feet wet…until I drown.” -Jump in…life is way too short!

Lindsay