Refuse to let Fear drive you

We all experience fear. No one is immune. Some of us experience it more often than others. We each have different things we fear, and we each have different ways of dealing with it.

Author Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia—also made into a movie) does this: She has a conversation with Fear, actually calling it by name. That takes some of the power from whatever fear she's feeling. She decides what she'll do despite her fear—and she tells Fear what she's about to do. Then she invites Fear along on the journey, knowing that it will come along anyway! But Gilbert sets down the rules: Fear isn't going to make the rules and isn't allowed to drive the journey. She says that by doing this, she's making an arrangement with Fear that allows her to acknowledge it and still move forward.

Perhaps that sounds a little "woo-woo" to some of you. But Gilbert's point is well-taken. Fear must be acknowledged. If we ignore the elephant in the room, it will always seem way too large to handle—and will, in fact, drive us rather than the other way around.

What fears are you facing in your life right now? Can you find your own voice and your own power to face it down, set your own agenda and move forward? If not, do you have a friend who can help you do that? If you would like some coaching around this issue, please contact me and let's help you move forward.