“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”
Ambrose Redmoon, , writer, a.k.a. James Neil Hollingworth (1933 – 1996)
What are you afraid of right now? If not outright fear, where do you feel resistance in your life? Is it centered around new technology? Changes in the way people buy and sell real estate? Conversations with people who don’t share your political or social views?
Whatever your fear, I would advise you to explore the possibility of embracing it. We gain a great deal when we explore our fear, hold it up to the light, and try to get an objective picture of what, exactly, scares us.
Often our fear is base: Humiliation. Failure. Bewilderment. Embarrassment. As children, we are forced constantly into our fear. From the darkness of a bedroom at night to falling off that bike for the first time, we are in a perpetual state of fear, revelation, and ultimately mastery.
As we age, adulthood gives us a terrible power: We’re allowed to stay in our comfort zone. It’s much easier to charge down the path of resistance when authority figures are standing by, telling you there’s no choice. The older we get, the less likely we are to find those “encouraging” mentors at our back, telling us to pedal like there’s no tomorrow.
I guarantee this week you will confront a situation where the world will ask you to step outside your comfort zone. It might be an invitation to an event, a new presentation, or a meeting with a difficult client. You’ll have the option to retreat to your comfort zone, but I hope you will consider the alternative. Say “yes, absolutely!” before you have a chance to say no.
The real magic happens when you step outside your comfort zone. Who doesn’t recall the thrilling feeling of the wind in the face as you charged down the street on your first bike? The sudden realization you could conquer the neighborhood! Where was the pain of the skinned knee then? Long forgotten, of course.
Go rediscover that productive discomfort this week.
