The story I always told about myself was that I was the girl who worked best behind the scenes.
I was the one handling the lighting for the big school play. I reported on the achievements of others for the college paper. I worked hard on the unglamorous operations side of the publishing business. I stayed out of sight. During events, I slunk past banks of photographers or found the back-door entrance.
Today, I choose to put myself out there, to tell my story, to set up a business Facebook page, to reach out to acquaintances.
I choose courage over fear, joy over (potential) criticism, purpose over shyness.
I choose to be a life coach, an entrepreneur, and that’s what I have to do.
It’s inevitable that fear shows up, as it does whenever I step out of the familiar and comfortable. Instead of trying to ignore it, I ask three questions:
- Hello, fear, why are you here?
- What do you want me to know?
- Is that really true?
When you step out of your comfort zone, sit with fear, be curious about what it has to tell you and understand its wisdom. Then, check in to see if what there is any truth in what it has to say.
My fear was telling me: No one is interested in you (which translated into, no one cares about you.) When I probed and asked if that was really true, I concluded that it wasn’t. People were not only interested, they liked me and what I was saying—as seen in the presentations that I made in the past, the growing number of readers on my blog, the clients who want to work with me.
Don’t let fear hold you back in making courageous choices, in stepping out of your comfort zone. We can never do things without it (a fearless life is an impossibility, unfortunately). But curiosity (rather than running away) will lessen its power and allow you to take your inspired-even-if-uncomfortable first steps.
