"Fear is a habit, so is courage" - Tony Robbins
An empowering thought, isn't it? To look at fear as a pattern of the mind. A habit that gets stronger and more powerful the more we repeat it; the more we feed it with our attention, whether it's conscious or not; the more we let it influence our behaviours or avoidance of behaviours. To look at fear as a habit and not something that's set in stone, unchangeable.
While it's tempting to aspire to get rid of fear altogether or imagine that you have to feel a 100% ready and doubt-free to pursue things (how often do we mistakenly think that's the case for the people we look up to?), the more helpful approach is to change the way we relate to fear and redirect our attention on something that serves and empowers us more, like in Tony's phrase - courage.
How do you relate to fear in your life?
do you look at it as an indicator of your abilities?
do you judge yourself for feeling fear when you're doing something new or even if you've done something a 100 times?
do you let it stop you from taking action?
do you wait for it to go away to take that first step?
Let me share some more quotes, thoughts and questions with you that help me reframe my relation to fear; something that lurks up on me when I lose momentum with what I do, when I face uncertainty (hello 2020) or when I do something new, which clearly I'm not going to be great at to begin with.
Fear will never go away so long as you continue to grow
The opposite of fear is action (not the absence of fear!)
Fear not what might happen if you try, but where you will stay if you don't try
When you're caught up in playing the worst case scenarios in your mind, replace the 'what if' with 'even if'
Ask yourself - what would you do, if you couldn't fail?
Courage does not mean you are not afraid. Courage means you are scared as hell, but you do it anyway. If you're not afraid, it's not courage
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage
So yogi, maybe feeling fear is not all that bad, if it's a sign that we're still growing and learning? Maybe feeling fear serves as a reminder of that choice we're presented with - do we strengthen the habit of fear and let it guide our (in)actions, or do we tap into courage to take a chance on our dreams and our potential?
I know what I'm wishing for all of us to do more of.
With love 🧡
Inga