#Fearless Friday | You know what you need to do.

"What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do"  -Tim Ferriss, The Four Hour Workweek.

For many years that quote was a part of the signature of my work emails, along with my name and job title.  When I discovered it, while reading The Four Hour Workweek, those words immediately struck a cord, making a lasting impression.  Then I saw this illustration from the book "The Tools" of a man keeping himself boxed in a comfort zone while missing out on all the limitless possibilities awaiting.  Someone put it best when they said that fear is an emotion that served us well, when we actually lived a dangerous environment.  Centuries ago, fear was the emotion that allowed us to survive life threatening situations.

Nowadays, we rarely face life and death situations. Instead, we improperly attach fear to relatively harmless scenarios like talking in front of others, or clowns.  The fear feels real to us, because our heart rate races, our heart pounds, and hands get sweaty.  But doesn't the same thing happen when we get excited about something or when we fall in love?

A seminar leader at a, meeting I attended, said it best when he said, "the feeling you're experiencing isn't fear, it's your heart pumping blood through your body.  That's a good thing....means you're alive!"  

What if we are incorrectly labeling and reacting to the sensations in our bodies (and the stories in our minds) as "fear."  What if the heightened emotions are an indication that this is something that we should be doing?  What if you were to lean into the thing you "fear" instead of cowering away?

Chances are, if you took a step forward, you'd find it to be less scary than you first imagined.  Or maybe, you experience even more of the "blood moving through your body" feeling,  Remember, that is a sign of your aliveness!  You are invigorated by the experience. It makes you feel alive!  From this day forward, when you experience heightened emotions from something you "fear," ask yourself "if I did it anyway would it make me a better, stronger person? Would it bring me one step closer to my overall goals?  If yes, then you know what to do.  

Think of all the things that bring you slight bit of anxiety, that makes you flinch.  Take a moment to reflect on what's on the other side if you were able to move beyond it.  These are the actions that you are being led to do.  There's a handsome reward for you on the other side if you are willing to move forward.