Why You Need to Do the Thing You’re Afraid to Do

Right after I got the idea for this blog, I started feeling that familiar feeling- fear. I was afraid for several reasons:

That it wouldn’t matter.

That people would judge me.

That I would fail.

But here’s the thing- fear is a good thing. It’s our fight-or-flight response properly working to protect us from danger. Your job is to recognize when your mind is protecting you from something it perceives as dangerous that in fact is not.

For example, this blog not mattering won’t kill me, people judging me won’t put me in the hospital, and failure is a valuable experience that provides loads of information on how to do better in the future.

The next time you notice that pursuing your creative desires brings up a fear response, remember this handy equation:

Creative desire + fear = an opportunity to expand.

Figuring out why pursuing your creative desires strikes fear into your heart usually points to some insecurity that is a direct result of something that happened in your past. When you recognize where the fear is coming from you can learn from it.

Facing your fear is an opportunity to heal a long-held belief system that may no longer be serving you.

So don’t waste your next opportunity to expand. Make the most of it by examining why you are afraid. Challenge those old belief systems that tell you it can’t happen for you. Allow yourself to be uncomfortable so that you can grow.

The truth is whatever you’re afraid of pursuing creatively probably won’t kill you. If you realize that, then don’t run away from what scares you, run towards it. It’s probably going to be what takes you to the next level.

Do the thing. Get out there. Get to work.