Let Fear Be Your Guide
I have anxiety. It is something I’ve struggled with most of my life. A few years ago it was so bad it put me in the emergency room on occasion. These days it sits just beneath the surface. Most days I barely know it’s there. The days when I do are usually days some kind of fear has crept in.
For me, fear is a big ass pause button and I. Can’t. Move.
I hit the wall of paralysis. I have no ideas. Nothing. Comes.
I think, Oh no, I’m done for. This is it. I’ve been found out. I’m a fake. The know it! What if I never make anything else again?! (And other things of that nature.)
Then I stop and I think and I breathe and I realize…I’m just afraid…I’m just afraid to take that next step forward, which for me means sitting down and simply doing the work. My favorite author at the moment, Steven Pressfield, gives us some insight from his book, The War of Art.
Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.
The professional tackles the project that will make him stretch. He takes on the assignment that will bear him into uncharted waters, compel him to explore unconscious parts of himself.
So breathe. It’s okay to be scared. Being scared only means you’re on the right track. Don’t let that dumb old fear overwhelm you. YOU. MUST. KEEP. MOVING.
