Feel the Fear – And Do Nothing

Let’s talk about fear. Not the things we’re afraid of for good reason. like sticking our hands into fire because ow! What we’re talking about today is the fear we manufacture, the fear we magnify, the fear we run from, the fear we conjure when our minds do what they do.

Fear of our own making.

So let’s use our time here, let’s use this post to stake our claim: let’s do nothing in the face of something we fear.

We won’t run.

We won’t hide.

We won’t shrink back.

We won’t avert our eyes.

Let’s think about something that frightens us. Maybe an overdue conversation with a loved one or coworker. Maybe taking up a new hobby. Maybe speaking in front of an audience. Maybe failing a class. Maybe speaking to a stranger.

Let’s think about that thing.

Got it?

Good.

Now, let’s feel the fear.

What kind of quality does it have? Is it coiling like a snake? Is it buzzing like a bee? Is it like a lump in the pit of your stomach?

Sit.

Breathe.

Examine. What it is. Why it is. How it is.

Give yourself some time to feel what you feel, however you feel it.

Now, let the feeling go.

Once you’ve felt the fear, you can choose to ignore it. Or you can embrace it, climb into every ounce of it, and use it like a cudgel.

You decide. Not the fear.