COURAGE

Can fear be of service?

If you are like me, fear is something that holds you back from trying new things or making inspired decisions that move you forward towards your dreams.

You feel afraid a lot and you see yourself as a fearing person, void of courage.

But what if that were not the case?

What if you have always been brave?

What if you have been interpreting your fear wrongly?

Fear is very useful. It is necessary to our survival and to our evolution as human beings in a fast-changing world.

Fear helps us set boundaries and avoid getting killed, either physically or psychologically.

What gets in the way is not trusting it.

If you are like me, trauma has been part of your life. In fact, trauma is part of everyone’s life.

And, if you are like me, some of that early trauma went unresolved and it had drastic effects in the way you are in the world.

You see that unresolved trauma disconnected you from yourself and your natural intuition.

So, when your gut gives you information about any situation, you either ignore it or overreact to it.

Fear paralyzes you because you lost the ability to tell the difference between actual and perceived danger.

Actual danger is when a tornado is coming your way. You want to run, or you want to shelter safely. Your life is in danger.

Perceived danger is when you have an interview for a new job, and you are not sure if you are qualified. You may feel paralyzed, but you wont die from it.

If you are like me, every time you have a decision to make that takes you into a new situation or experience, you feel afraid and you think you are a coward for feeling afraid. You put yourself down and that deflates your resolve, making it difficult to take action.

The thing is, if we think about it, we are here now because we have been very brave many times in our lives.

I recently was told by someone who I did not expect to hear such a thing from, someone I have always thought of as stronger than me, that I am their hero. They see me as a very brave person! And they admire me!?

That got me thinking about all that I have lived through, and I realize that I have made major decisions and embarked on experiences that required strength of mind and body.

I made a list of all my accomplishments and situations I lived through and thrived, despite the odds and in spite of tremendous fear and uncertainty going into them.

I also have evidence of how fear kept me safe in many scary situations.

I realized that fear is very useful to me.

It lets me know when I need to pause and evaluate a situation, and it also lets me know that something I am reticent to try is also the thing I desire the most.

So, next time you think you are not brave, or are afraid to do anything, do yourself a favor and make a list of all the times you have been brave, all the times fear has kept you safe, and all the times you have pushed through your fear to get something you really have desired. 

Then, take note and use it as evidence of your bravery.

Be proud of yourself.

You have survived a lot. Otherwise, you would not be here, this very moment, reading this.

Be your own hero (heroine)!

Go reward yourself.

YOU GOT THIS!