Fear: The Ultimate Thief

Moving from "What If" to "What’s Next"

Fear- the ultimate thief- robbing us of our potential and the possibility of simply enjoying the moment at hand.

Unless we’re truly in danger, fear rarely shows up as panic. Usually, it's the little voice in the back of your head, steadily bombarding you with “What If’s.”

“What if I’m not ready?”
“What if I’m not good enough?”

It’s the hesitation when opportunity arises. It’s the paralysis by analysis disguising avoidance as overthinking. It’s our insecurity shouting louder than our confidence, trying to protect us from getting hurt.

I struggle with fear just like everyone else, and it’s something that’s been taking up an immense amount of space in my brain lately. But instead of letting fear win or just bulldozing it aside- I’ve worked hard to understand it, to recognize it, honor it for what it's trying to do, and consistently make the effort to choose courage instead.

So yesterday, after an awesome morning of doing something completely outside of my comfort zone, I was hit with an opportunity that scared the sh*t out of me.

Literally, my first thought was “for f*cks sake, not this.”

Not because I can’t do it, but because it opened the flood gates for my insecurities and “what if’s”. I felt overwhelmingly paralyzed sitting on my couch watching Sex and the City (yup).

But then it hit me.
I was letting my fear win. I wasn’t leading with courage.

So instead of indulging my fear with my girls in Manhattan, I got up and went for a run.
"Sometimes” by MUNA started playing, and as soon as the sun hit my face and my feet hit the pavement, I could feel the fear wash away- my inner confidence rising to the surface.

Sure, this opportunity may be challenging and makes me wildly uncomfortable. And there’s always the chance I fail.

But failure isn’t the dead-end, hard-stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200 jail sentence that we make it out to be.

Because if I fail, it’s just another opportunity to grow.

Fear isn’t weakness. It’s a sign you’re right on the edge of what’s possible- at the edge of something that matters.

What if rather than stealing from you- it’s offering you the chance to tap even further into your potential- into who you're becoming?