What Is It You Fear The Most In Pursuing Your Dreams?
What if you could turn that fear into action toward your goals?
Last week I wrote about a topic that Mel Robbins (find her site HERE) covered during a speech to Women Entrepreneurs. This particular topic was about Taking Action: The New 5-Second Rule (read that post HERE). Now, I want to go back a little further into your battle with yourself. You see, I know you’re having it, because I have it, too. All the time.
Mel talked about the two types of Fear that we have in life: Fear of Death and Fear of Missing Out. Whenever we can take what we internalize as Fear of Death (which isn’t life-threatening) and turn it into Fear of Missing Out, then we can Take Action toward the Goals that will keep us from Missing Out. It’s not a new concept, but a great way to present it to a room full of women, many of whom are moms (including me). We tell our kids on numerous occasions that they “can’t do it all,” or “have to make choices,” when they are experiencing the Fear of Missing Out on something cool with their friends or a social event that must be skipped due to academics or athletics. However, we sometimes have a hard time recognizing this in ourselves. We have an even harder time realizing this can be turned into a catalyst for action and positive change toward our goals.
I knew I had read and heard other similar concepts before, so I ran through my bookshelf when I returned from the event. I picked up a couple of books from my shelf that have been itching to be re-read. One was Do the Work
In these books, Pressfield refers to this inner Fear and Fight against your productivity and goals as Resistance. It’s universal, and persistent. This Resistance will create Fear in you where none previously existed. He describes it at as all sorts of mythical foes – even a dragon. You must slay the Dragon of Resistance to achieve your goals. Period.
Did you know there’s a Superhero inside of you? Seriously!?
Within you, you have the ability to kill dragons, and slay fear, at least temporarily.
However, you must have the burning desire to achieve that goal, and see that project to fruition, or the Resistance and Fear will win. Many really smart people believe this Resistance, and the Fear in which it is manifested, are to blame for the high failure rate of so many entrepreneurs and creative endeavors. It’s not that the idea wasn’t great, or that there was no market for the product or book or movie. It’s simply that the entrepreneur, or creative developer, succumbed to fear, and became paralyzed by the universal force of resistance.
Something that is in widespread agreement is that:
Force is Required to Slay Fear…
Yep, that’s right. You have to get nasty. You must pull from your deepest reserves to find the fight within you to win this battle. The bigger the project, the more formidable the Fear, and the harder the universe will try to put blockades in front of you. Don’t give in. Keep fighting through.
Equally present in the Universe are Agents of Assistance. These will help you Slay Fear and Kill that Dragon once and for all – at least for this project. They can manifest in all sorts of ways: an inspiring book (or its author), a webinar that made you realize “you can do it, too,” a course you studied that built your belief. Even small things like an email that arrives at just the right time, or a call from a friend that always makes you feel better.
Assistance is just as prevalent in the Universe as Resistance, but it won’t come to our aid until we begin to Fight on our own – Force is Required.
You should also know that the bigger the project or endeavor, the greater force Fear and Resistance will push at you. This simply means that you must be ready for battle. Each day, and with each task that will move your project further along, you must set your mind to to it “no matter what.” Fear can even sneak in as daily chores and errands that pop up and “must” be done. Don’t let daily life keep you from accomplishing your goals.
When I first made the transition from a Sales Executive with a heavy travel schedule to a Home-Based Entrepreneur, it was so easy to get caught up in the daily grind of being in my house. So many things always need to be done with two working parents, and two teenage student-athletes. We are always on the go. It took a while for me to accept the limitations of my time, and make my business a priority. In the end, I knew that I couldn’t help anyone develop their own skills and business by cleaning the house or stopping at the dry cleaners.
Fear was Forcing me to “play small” for a time, then I Forced the Fear into Action.
I knew that my higher calling was to help those who want to escape the corporate world and control their own future. That’s what I did, and I know there are others out there who want to do that as well. I had to force the fear aside and kill the dragon, and its fiery wrath. Now I have blocks of time every day to help others define their dreams, and craft a plan to achieve them. It’s all about the action. You can read every book in the library (or on Amazon), and still not get where you need to be.
You only need three steps to freedom:
- Tap into the Fear of Missing Out
- Slaying the Dragon of Resistance
- Begin Taking Action – Every Day
I know that if I did it, you can, too.
Want to learn more about the authors and speakers I discussed here?
Mel Robbins: Website, Facebook
Mel’s Book: Stop Saying You’re Fine: The No-BS Guide to Getting What You Want
Stephen Pressfield: Website, Facebook
Stephen has authored many books on personal development, and great works of fiction.
Here are the two mentioned above: Do the Work and The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Ready to break the shackles of your corporate existence, and start living your life and creating your future?
Call me: 832-821-5386 or Email me: [email protected], and let’s see if we’re a good fit, and if I can help you with that.
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