Fear is a bully. It whispers in your ear and says things aligned with your insecurities:
- You know you are not qualified to do X.
- You are going to fail and everyone is going to think you are a loser.
- Really, you are going to take your savings to invest in your business?! Yeah right! You ain’t never ran no business! (yep, fear is hood sometimes, lol!)
- You cannot complete a marathon! Are you crazy!
- Who are you? Who is going to purchase your book, attend your lectures, register for your workshop, purchase your items/services?
- Where are you going to get clients? Do you know how many other people do X? What makes you better than them?
- You are too far in debt, you will NEVER get out! The little money you are paying is not going to help.
- You are too old (over 30). Maybe your standards are too high, or you are not the marrying type.
- Do you know how difficult X is?! You are not ready!
- You need to lose X amount of weight before you can do Y.
- What?! You are going to travel international by yourself? Do you know how dangerous the world is!
- 'X' is your family legacy, that is just how it is.
Fear is also a pusher, providing justifications to support your procrastination (which is really just another face of fear):
- Yeah, that’s right you deserve a vacation book your travel (instead of investing this money into your dreams).
- It is too cold, hot, uncomfortable, loud, quiet, etc. to study, write, strategize, create in ‘this environment.’ By the time you pack up, go to your vehicle, sit in traffic, arrive at new location it will be too late and you will be too tired. To avoid traffic and stress, just meet up with your friends at a local bar for happy hour. You can always try again tomorrow.
- No, it is best to start something new (fitness/nutrition/savings/etc.) at the beginning of the week/month/year let’s wait until then to start.
- Whew! It is too late in the day to start, you can begin tomorrow (yet you spend the next 3 hours on social media).
- Yeah, it will take forever to reach your financial goals if you only save X amount. You should wait and start saving when you can save X amount consistently (yet you still continue to shop, eat out, attend happy hours, social events, etc.).
- If you cannot dedicate X amount of consistent time to Y, then you should wait until you can (as if any amount of invested time is not beneficial).
- You are not tapped into ‘this’ organization or ‘that’ group, etc. so you should wait until you have Y amount of followers/support before you begin.
- You haven’t reached your ideal running time yet, just wait until the next marathon and register then (registering, participating and completing is more important than time for your first run because it kicks fear in its arse!).
- None of your friends can attend said event, you should not go (instead of going, socializing and possibly having a wonderful time and perhaps meeting some interesting people or invites to opportunities).
Are you going to continue to give authority to fear to serve as the pilot of your life, forcing you to go or remain in the spaces and places where it feels comfortable?
Are you REALLY okay with allowing fear to bully you and convince you that you are less than who you know you are destined to be? Are you willing to forfeit your dreams and best life and accept the consolation prize of mediocrity and mundane? Are you okay with settling and only choosing from the options fear places in front of you? OF COURSE NOT! You have asked, prayed, cried, begged, and pleaded for a sign. You read the Alchemist said you, similar to Santiago, can read the signs.
******THIS IS YOUR SIGN!*******
BLINK. BLINK. BLINK. BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ. WAKE UP! WAKE UP! YES YOU! SNAP OUT OF IT! SNATCH THE CONTROL OUT OF FEAR’S HAND AND KICK THAT MOFO OUT OF THE PILOT SEAT!!!!
All of those excuses above are LIES!!!! Stop what you are doing and take action, no action is too small. Do something to reclaim your life and to show fear that its reign over your life has just ended. Dethrone that mofo now! – Misha N. Granado