Two Ways to Deal With Fear

Image courtesy of Arztsamui/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net Sometimes when I coach writers they tell me they aren’t writing.  Or they tell me that they aren’t writing as much as they would like to.  Then we talk about why this is.  Often they offer up reasons and often these reasons sound very plausible. 



But beneath their words I hear the hum of fear.

Here’s the thing about fear: nothing crushes as many dreams as fear.  But you are never going to stop feeling fear.  Feeling fear is part of being alive. 

There are two ways to deal with fear: you can either let fear bully you until your life grows so small and boring you rarely get off your sofa, or you can learn how to deal with fear, keep chasing your dreams and continue to grow.

The choice is up to you.

I want to share with you a couple of things I’ve learned about fear:

When I try to articulate what it is I am afraid of I usually discover my fears are vague or foolish.  It helps me to grow braver when I realize what I am afraid of is wishy-washy or just plain silly.

And when I ask myself, “What is the worst that can happen if I do this thing that I am afraid of?” the fear dissipates.  This is because chasing my dreams is rarely deadly.  Usually all I am risking is a bit of embarrassment.  I’ve found that articulating the worst is often enough to get me over my fear hurdle. 

Our dreams make us really, really nervous.  That’s because they ask us to be bigger than we currently believe we are.   But to really feel alive, to really be proud of ourselves, we need to walk right up to the edge of our known abilities and sit down.

Then as writers we have to write from this place.

I’m not saying it isn’t scary:  I’m just saying, it’s worth it.