Fear: A Personal Confession
“The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.” – Steven Pressfield
I had been wanting to give a cooking class for almost a year now.
But something kept holding me back.
You’re not a chef.
This wasn’t something someone said to me. This was something my own mind kept reminding me of.
It also told me that nobody would come. That I suck at organization and logistics. That I would probably forget some vital ingredient. And it even came up with lovely, and really inventive images of me forgetting to put on the blender top…before turning on the blender.
Ah, minds. Such creative, imaginative – and sometimes unhelpful instruments.
I used to waste a lot of time trying to change fearful thoughts and images.
And then I discovered ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and it changed everything.
ACT helped me realize that our minds evolved to constantly broadcast negative thoughts.
One of the reasons is because when we lived in a world rife with physical danger like wild animals prowling around, we needed to be constantly on alert, to notice any danger in our environment to avoid being eaten.
Minds also evolved to compare and judge us as a way of protecting us from being rejected by the group. Humans can’t really survive alone in the wild in the same way children can’t survive without their parents. So we have a strong aversion to being rejected because for our minds…
Being rejected = I might die
Russ Harris, one of the thinkers behind ACT calls the mind a ‘Don’t Get Killed Machine’ and that is basically the starring role of our minds. To keep us safe. To keep us cozily ensconced in our comfort zone so we don’t have to face the possibility of rejection.
Realizing this changed everything for me.
It made me realize…
That there’s no point in waiting for my thoughts to turn positive and supportive or to feel fully ready before taking action. This very rarely happens.
That it is normal and completely on equity for my mind to come up with thoughts like Nobody will come and if they do, they’ll want their money back. It is simply what minds evolved to do. Instead of reacting to these thoughts by not holding the cooking class, I could simply realize that my mind was doing its thing, and trying to keep me safe…and still take action towards organizing the cooking class anyway.
Because as soon as there is change in the horizon, there is always fear.
But that fear doesn’t need to push you around. In the end, it doesn’t matter if thoughts are true or not. They are only thoughts and they don’t need to dictate action if you don’t want them to. How often have you thought I want to go to that yoga class without going? Or had uncharitable thoughts about someone without acting on them?
We tend to take our thoughts so seriously but they do not necessarily dictate action.
My mind telling me You suck at logistics and will never be able to plan a cooking class for 15 people has a grain of truth. I am not a natural organizer and it is not something I enjoy. But just because it is true didn’t mean I had to allow it to stop me from moving towards something important to me.
Which brings me to the most important part:
Focusing on what it important is a much better strategy for moving forward in life than buying into fearful thoughts and images.
Negative thoughts and fears will always be there. The question is, can I have these thoughts and feelings AND STILL move towards what is important to me? In this case, what was important to me was sharing my passion for simple, healthy food that I love creating. ACT talks about being ‘willing’ to have these uncomfortable thoughts and fears in service of what’s important for you. After all, fear wouldn’t show up if I was in my comfort zone rather than trying to do something that mattered to me.
We tend to believe that people who are ‘out there’ and doing things are different to us. That they don’t have fear. Yet if there is one certitude in life, it is that where there is change, there is fear. The question is, will you allow this to keep you in your comfort zone or will you Feel the fear and do it anyway in the words of Susan Jeffers?
I would love to hear from you – what helps you deal with fear? Are there any quotes you find inspiring?
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14 Comments
This rings true! So many people have remarked some variation of “I don’t know how you did that …” Taking my family overseas to live in a foreign country for so many years, leading a group of clients/ professional colleagues through a day’s work, hiking a long demanding hike, falling and getting up and continuing on….. The truth is, the fear and those mindful thoughts questioning whether I had the right, the appropriate skills, the gumption have always been with me. I just push them back into a corner to go on with what I thought I should do. Rosa Parks said, “I have learned that when one’s mind is made up, this diminished fear.”
I love that quote! Thanks for sharing Caro!
Thanks for sharing Hiba. Working with you and realising that I don’t I have to listen to every thought or fear was certainly a major breakthrough for me!!
Thank you Faris! It is a huge breakthrough indeed!
What a joy to find sonoeme else who thinks this way.
Well, Ted Cruz is a hardcore tea party candidate which means he would be lucky to get 30 percent outside of Texas. Rubio is a little more liberal and will at the most get 38 percent. Rubio might win Florida but lost Oh again and that will be basely the end of Republicans going after the hispanic vote.
Those sunnies are completely amazing on you! I was so surprised to see they were Aldo! They are so cute! I dream of going to NY someday… it's a life dream to go during the Christmas season! Seems so magical!
Toews is with bauer and Anna was refering to CCM painting over a Reebok stick only because they are sister companies. Stick complanies constantly repaint older model sticks within their OWN product lines to promote new stick models. It would appear that Anna does know what she is talking about. Just throwing it out there.
Money does not have a conscience and it seems MONEY has become the “GOD” to the so called elite of the free (Choke) world. The gap widens and it is dictatorial governments like Canada’s that helps corruption grow as an infestation of greed engulfs the world.Just this morning I was enraged when a gentleman speaking to me began with “Your PRIME MINISTER ” I immediately interupted and corrected him stating “HE IS NOT MY PRIME MINISTER -never was and never WILL HE BE.
she was the school receptionist. My teacher knew I was lying (from all those assignments before the fact) but never told on me. They didn’t have “take your kid to work” after that at all. Instead they had (and continue to have) career fair-style presentations and field trips for the older kids, which seems much less trauma-inducing.
Absolutely! Whenever I am really scared (like just about to ski down a black run) I tell myself “I am not my fear”…and then do it. Otherwise I’d never get out of my comfort zone…Speaking of which – I’m really motivated to do a few things now that I have been procrastinating on!! Thank you! And thank you for the wonderful cooking class. I learned so much and had a great time.
Thanks for your comment Nesrin – I love “I am not my fear” – so true! Thank you also for participating and for your help!
Hi Katia! I love your way too! You can schedule a free session here if you would like:
https://doodle.com/healthwise
See you soon!
Hiba
Thank you for sharing Hiba! I can relate, oh yes I can! Once I realize it is my fear that stops me from doing what I want I say thank you for keeping me safe, I no longer need you, you are free to go. The thing is to keep dancing under the rain,but it’s easier said than done. Well done on your first cooking class! I am curious about the technique and would like to schedule a free session with you. Let me know.
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