The To Be List Blog

Feel the fear and do it anyway

Courage is the ability to feel afraid and do it anyway.  But Courage helps us transcend more than just fear.  It helps us acknowledge excuses and limiting beliefs of all kinds – laziness, tiredness, doubt, self-pity, blame, confusion – and keep moving anyway.

Courage is not about denying our limiting beliefs or emotions.  It’s not about repressing our fears or pretending they don’t exist.  Quite the opposite.  The best way to handle fear is to acknowledge it.  Look it squarely in the face, extend your hand, and say, “Hello, my old friend Fear.  I see you’re there, and I’ll take care of you.”  Fear is like a crying child: it doesn’t help to pretend it’s not there.  You must go to her, comfort her, let her know you’re there and everything will be ok.

It’s the same with any of the thoughts or feelings that keep us stuck.  When you feel self-doubt (“Oh, who am I to do this?  I’m not good enough…”), just go to it like it was a crying child.  Say, “Self-doubt, I see you.  I know you’re there, and I know you’re in pain.  It will be ok: I’m here with you now.”

Then, do it anyway.  That’s the power of Courage.

Imagine the Courage streaming into you like sunlight into the tiny leaves of the first crocus of spring.  Feel the Courage warming the crocus within you, encouraging it to brave the cold, the snow, the perils of blooming.  The crocus knows it’s facing an uncertain and potentially hazardous period when it first pokes its head up through the earth.  But it feels the sunlight of Courage, and sprouts anyway.

You can do it, too.  You can sprout anyway.  You can look at your doubts, fears, confusion – smile at them like old friends – and do what you’re being called to do, anyway.

Choose to Be Courageous!