If you’re a human being, you experience fear.
It’s not a sign of cowardice.
It’s not a sign of weakness.
It’s not a signal from the universe telling you to pack it up and quit.
Fear is simply our brain’s response to a perceived threat to our physical existence, and everyone from superstars to average joes deals with it on a regular basis.
And while some people view fear as a negative side-effect of trying to venture outside of their comfort zone, I’m here to tell you that it can actually be used to propel you and your growth to new heights. By breaking fear down to its fundamental pieces, you can strategically use it as an ally to fuel your ambitions while making sure you are the right track to living your fullest life.
Fear Is Like Your Grandma
At its core, fear is simply a survival mechanism that helps us avoid deadly threats.
When real danger is present, fear serves a very logical purpose.
Whether it’s dissuading us from walking down a dark alley in a shady neighborhood late at night, or talking us out of mountain-biking down an insanely steep gulch that’s way outside our expertise level, fear can be a real buddy in keeping you safe.
But let’s get serious here.
Unless you’re a SWAT team captain or a crew member on Deadliest Catch, very real and imminent physical danger is rarely present in everyday life.
If this is so, then why does fear, anxiety, and resistance smother us like an overprotective grandma, especially when it comes to pursuing our boldest goals?
Well, it turns out that our brains are wired to avoid growth, transformation, and pretty much anything that propels us into uncharted waters. Thinking it’s doing us a favor by keeping us safe, our brains are designed to seek comfort and predictability, so it uses the sensations and signals of fear to dissuade us from thinking big and acting boldly.
It’s The Caveman’s Fault
It’s almost like some cruel joke.
We are passionate human beings who want to experience the fullest potential of life, yet we are given these overprotective brains that fight us with each step we take into the unknown world of growth and transformation.
Well, you can’t get too mad because these overly cautious brains are why we’re here today.
You see, back when we were cavemen and cavewomen, settling for safe and predictable literally kept us alive. Back then, when you ventured off into some new place or tried to branch out on your own to blaze a trail, the odds of you starving to death or becoming somethings lunch exponentially increased.
So as an evolutionary survival mechanism, our brains began to associate comfort and predictability with life, while associating anything new or unknown as perilous danger to be avoided at all costs!
That’s why we experience fear and it’s lovely comrades (discomfort, unease, anxiety, doubt, resistance, freak-outs, etc) whenever we begin pursuing things that take us out of our comfort zone. Thinking our bodily survival is at risk, our brains will try their hardest to get us to settle for safe and predictable.
Knowledge Is (super)Power
So now that we know what fear is, we can begin to use it to our advantage.
If you have goals that can only be accomplished by leaving your comfort zone (those are typically the best ones IMO!) you can confidently expect that fear will rear its head at some point in your journey.
When you do feel it or any of its friends (stress, doubt, anxiety, discomfort, anything associated with ‘OMG I’m freaking out’), just calmly remember that it’s only an indicator you are venturing into a new place, climbing higher than you have previously climbed.
Acknowledge that the fear is there, but view it merely as a suggestion to settle for comfortable predictability. And then make a choice.
It really is up to you.
You can choose to accept the invitation to play small and lay low, or you can boldly decline the offer and take action to move forward.
When you can do this, you begin to use fear for you as opposed to against you. Because once you know that fear will only show up on the verge of growth, it becomes a guide, assuring you that you are on the quickest path to becoming the fullest, strongest and most vibrant you.
Flex The Fear Muscle
Now that you know what fear is and how you can expect it on any journey of growth, it’s simply a matter of identifying it and taking action in spite of it.
And at first, it’s going to feel difficult, inefficient and awkward.
Almost like driving a car with the parking brake on.
Because in reality, you are fighting your brain’s original wiring.
But I promise you, the more that you can take action in spite of fear, the bolder you become. The more you can flex your fear muscle, the stronger you grow and the easier it becomes to act boldly in pursuit of your fulfilling goals.
And in a short period of time, the things that used to paralyze you and stall your growth no longer slow you down.