Feel The Fear... And Do It Anyway

Prior to having insight into myself... which came well after starting my career as a therapist... I began to notice that I was an anxious person. Sure, in college I would feel anxious when big tests would come up, or worried if I wasn't accepted by my group of friends. But it became more apparent as I worked with my clients what REAL anxiety was, and it became clearer to me that I was experiencing it myself. More specifically, the anxiety came around work-related tasks and other employees/supervisors.

In the past eight months, I have experienced more anxiety that I have in the past eight years. I laugh to myself on the inside when I work with a client who is also challenged with anxiety symptoms and through our dialog they often say something along the lines of "it's like you know just what I'm going through" when I offer them an empathic statement that therapists are suppose to use to show that they care... as if we, the therapists, live in a depression or anxiety-free bubble that prevents us from experiencing any real life trials and tribulations that would make us susceptible to situations similar to that of our clients.

This reading has been a staple in my notebook for several months. It reminds me that fear is a natural emotion. It reminds me not to run away from fears. It reminds me to feel fear. Feel it, in all of it's glory. Embrace it. Acknowledge its presence in my life, however uncomfortable it might be. Then, it invites me to act on it. Act on my fears, in spite of being afraid. In spite of asking myself those "what if" questions. In spite of my doubts. In spite of my fear of failure, or quite often... my fear of success. Only after acting on our fears will there be an opportunity for the fear (and any other accompanying feelings) to transform into relief, triumph, and excitement.


I challenge you today to consider what you have been putting off because of your fears. What have you been wanting to try, but you are afraid that it won't work? Have you been wanting to talk to someone new, but are afraid that s/he won't reciprocate your affection? Do you want a new job, but don't think you have the qualifications? Do you want to learn something new, but don't think you have the talent? GO FOR IT! The only way you will find out is to try. Until you put yourself out there and attempt something, you will always wonder "what if".