November, 2008

Have you ever been paralyzed by fear?

You have an idea, but you can't move forward because you are scared?

What I've been noticing recently is that fear has a very close relative that often inspires me to action. Fear's sunnier twin is named "excitement."

Don't they both have a fast, active and slightly ungrounded feeling?

Let's say that I'm feeling fearful to send this newsletter. I may connect some needs with the fear-the needs for acceptance, appreciation and contribution. Connecting with these needs will help me understand the basis of this fear and may help shift me out of it.

To take my shift to the next level, I can also search inside myself for a nugget of excitement. I'm quite certain that there is at least one drop of excitement there as well!

Once I find this excitement, I ask myself what needs might be met by the action. In discovering that I may receive connection, creativity, visibility and learning by sending this newsletter, my excitement grows.

In this case, the excitement grows to such a magnitude that I don't even notice the fear anymore. Other times, I hold both the fear and the excitement, one in each hand, until one feels distinctly heavier than the other, and I am mobilized to action in one of the directions.

The point is not to talk myself into doing something that I don't want to do! My purpose is to access the flip side of fear-excitement-and hold both possibilities at the same time. In this way, fear's paralyzing grip loosens, I can see more clearly and make a more holistic decision.

Luckily, in this case, I was mobilized to sending the newsletter you are reading right now--enjoy! ;-)