On podcast episode 108, I talked about fear as the one ring that often rules the artisan’s life. Despite our attempts to ignore it or push it out of the way, it sits there and festers inside. Feeding on our attempts to ignore it. It’s only when we face the fear that it loses its bite. Embracing, or dancing with that fear, robs it of its power.
But it’s not as simple as that, is it?
What if we take another approach? What if you ask yourself this question: “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”
How big would you live? What would you try? Explore? How different would your life look? There’s still no guarantee of success. The only difference is that you’re not afraid of what happens. Not afraid of rejection. Failure. Anything bad that could happen.
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Make a list. Get as crazy as you want. Or not. And be honest.
Now let’s sit for a minute and ask two questions.
- Is there anything on this list that’s so important I’m willing to do it, even if I am afraid; and even if I fail? If so, what makes that so important?
- How much do I believe in my ability to turn things around, even if I fall flat on my face?
Facing your fear and addressing it directly is hard. Sometimes it feels impossible. You’re not going to want to try unless you believe the cause is worth the sacrifice and you can recover if a disaster occurs. If the cause isn’t worth it, you’ll just play it safe. The same will be true if you don’t have resilience.
So, rather than go to battle against fear, put your armor on first. Two sword of belief in the cause and the shield of resilience. Together they can keep fear dancing so it can’t come in for the attack.
What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Leave a comment.
