I Know You Can Do It. You Have to Know You Can Do It!

I’ve been reminded a few times over, this past week, from clients and teaching my “Acting For Real Life” course at St. Lawrence College, that in order to do the thing you are afraid of, you have to do the thing you are afraid of. (I knew that, but they didn’t know that - until they knew that. Clear as mud?)

Each person’s trajectory will be different. Sometimes, you’ll decide to make a change and slowly work toward that. And sometimes, you’ll have a tipping point. A stop along your journey where you are so angry/frustrated/tired of being held back by fear, that you decide it’s time to move past it. That’s usually when I get an email. :)

But that still doesn’t answer the question of: how do I move past my fear?

A few things have to happen in order to take the first step of just doing the thing. Something has to change to motivate you to move forward. Sometimes you orchestrate that change, and sometimes it just happens. You feel ready. You feel committed. Typically, you’ll see yourself on the other side of what is holding you back, and that image will be all you need to begin.

And there are steps. Systems. Guidelines. Structures. So many ways to help you move through fear into new territory.

Ever tried something you’ve been dreading, only to come out the other side and say “That wasn’t so bad!”

Everybody’s journey to realization is different, but one thing is the same: when you’re ready to move forward, when you’re really motivated to move past dread, you’ll know. You’ll still feel scared, you’ll still have the anxiety in your stomach, but you’ll know you’re ready to try.

What small step can you take today to move you closer to being ready to tackle a fear?

Let me know in the comments, or email me at megan@ubuskills.com.