Masterful Mindsets – Walk Through Fear
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” ~ Jack Canfield
Question:
What do you want most in life? What are you most afraid of? Are those fears real or imagined? Are you willing to walk through what scares you, to come out on the other side with the life you want?
Action Challenge:
It’s getting close to Halloween, so last weekend we took our daughters and some of their friends to a “Haunted Trail”. It’s like a haunted house, only it was out in the middle of nowhere; a dark field that had a trail leading through some scary buildings full of creepy characters. The girls were a little apprehensive but overall, excited about going. It was like the same similar mixture of fear and excitement that you might get when you are facing a challenge in life that you really want to achieve but are also a little scared of taking on, for fear that you might get hurt along the way or that the outcome might not be what you’d hoped.
Before we went, we reminded the younger girls that the people there were just actors and that there was no real fear – only what they let their imagination create. Of course, they were scared and did their fair share of screaming but when they came out on the other side, they were all giggling and talking about the parts that scared them most. Some were even ready to take on another one, so we headed off to conquer a haunted house that evening too. They had so much fun!
So why am I telling you all this??? And what does it have to do with this week’s quote and action challenge? I’ll tell you…
The experience they had is a metaphor for life!
Think about it… when new experiences or challenges come up in your life, even though you know full well that the scary things aren’t usually real but are only in your head, you can’t help but be scared anyway. However, when you push through and come out on the other side, you find that you feel proud of yourself for overcoming your fears and getting through it. You talk about the parts that scared you most and you can smile about how at times, you screamed, but regardless, you pushed on and you reached your goal. And then, you may even find that you are ready to do it again. So you take on another challenge that leads you even closer to your happiness.
My challenge to you is to decide if you’re ready to walk through fear to get to the other side and create the life you desire. Identify what scares you the most. Is it a real or perceived fear? Remind yourself that most fears are not as real as they feel, and in fact, the greatest, most debilitating fears are the ones that we create in our imagination – or in this case, from our limiting beliefs. Tap into that mixed feeling of fear and excitement at the thought of going through it. Let it motivate you to take that first step. Then go. Begin walking the trail. Grab a partner to go with you if you need the support of someone to push you when you don’t want to walk another step. But most importantly, keep walking (or running) forward. Because, if you can keep moving forward, you will get through fear and you’ll make it to the other side. Think about how exhilarating and empowering it will be when you can look back at the road you’ve traveled – know what scared you most and what you can laugh about. Then you can decide which fear you’ll conquer next. Because the reward you receive on the other side of fear, is so worth it.
***I want to hear from you… share your thoughts about this week’s topic below.