FEAR

…the big bad wolf.

So, fear is setting in. I can’t do this! What am I thinking? There is just so much stuff I don’t know! How will I ever get this done? I need to stop being stupid! This will never work. It never does.

Fast forward to my older self, wishing I could go out and do all the things I used to do. (We’ll circle back to this one!) I sit there dreaming of all those things I wished I’d done. All those dreams that could have happened much earlier, but I didn’t do any of them…because I was scared.

It’s all fine and good to hear someone say “You don’t fail. You either win or you learn.” Great! But all that time and effort wasted, and for what? A lesson?

Ever been there?

Yep – me too! Often! In fact, as I sit down and write this…fear is sitting on my shoulder telling me to hang it up and do something safe! Then, I start laughing hysterically!!! V, you’re writing this in a public blog. Who are you trying to convince, Virginia? Yourself, or the audience?

The truth is, I am trying to convince myself. In the interest of full disclosure – wait for it – I AM SCARED! Okay, I said it. I am afraid things won’t work out. I’m terrified my course won’t fill, or my art won’t sell, or no one will ever read this. But I do it anyway. Why? Remember that older self above? The one who was wishing she could go out and do all the things she “used to do?”

Well, you can’t miss something you never did! I’d rather miss the things I “used to do” than regret never having tried. I would rather remember with fondness all the fun, interesting, and “scary” things I tried. I don’t want to regret never having attempted the big stuff out of fear.

SO WHAT?

So, I think to myself, “So what!” SO WHAT if it fails, SO WHAT if no one reads this! SO WHAT!

Many years ago, my mother related a story about her fear when contemplating going for her art degree in her 60s. The story goes something like this: She was having coffee with a friend and was discussing the possibility of moving several hours away to attend art school, a lifelong dream of hers. That would require quite a bit of effort, expense, and fear of the unknown. She said, “Do you know how OLD I will be when I finally graduate?”

The friend replied, “Yes, the same age you will be if you don’t.” “The point isn’t how old you will be. The point is, do you want to be that same age with, or without, the degree?” Ouch!

Case closed!

Let’s do this!

Don’t let life pass you by out of fear. You have so much more resilience than you will ever know! Besides, what is life for if not for discovering what we are capable of, learning new things about ourselves, or uncovering new aspects of ourselves? I’m here cheering you on! What is it that you want? Are you willing to take the risk? Does it mean that much to you? “SO WHAT” if it doesn’t work out the way you planned. You gave it your best shot. Go proudly.

Leave a comment below and tell me what it is that you have been afraid to try. Stay tuned for details on my course that will help you ditch those creative fears and send that big bad wolf packing! And if you want to get a head start, click HERE to a workbook that will help you change some of the old mindsets that create that fear in the first place.