Fear in your life and your business can stop you in your tracks. If fear doesn’t totally stop you, then you end up powering through it.

Powering through fear isn’t sustainable over time. You end up burned out and exhausted.

I know this because I powered through the fear for years.

We all have fear. We all are stopped by it at some point, and we all have powered through it.

In order for you to create a growing successful business and time for family and of course, Joyful Play, you will be stepping out of your comfort zone.

Stepping out of the known and into the unknown is uncomfortable and triggers fear.

You have a couple of choices at this point.

• You can talk yourself out of going for what you want. This usually sounds something like “Why am I doing this…, I didn’t really even want to do this… etc.”  
• Or you power through. Either way, it’s tough and brings up a bunch of your stuff (welcome to the inner game).

What if it was different? What if you had another choice?

I have really been faced with fear over the last few weeks.

We had a wild fire start on July 3rd not far from our house. We had a very dry winter, and it’s not taking much for fires to start and grow rapidly. On July 4th, the winds where high, humidity was low, and the fire began growing at a rapid pace. There were hundreds of people evacuated from their homes. Fortunately, we were not one of them. Although, I had several good friends and clients who were.

You could see the fire progress from my back porch, and it was really scary. From the calls I got from people who were being evacuated, you could hear the fear and for some, absolute terror in their voice. This was for good reason.

I was also hearing a lot of fear being talked about and growing through conversations. You could feel the fear expanding.

As I looked at this and talked to people, I thought about the difference between life-threatening fear and the fear we feel as we step outside our comfort zone.  This reminded me of how I finally began to embrace fear and gracefully move forward with it.

Fear is an instinct. It’s felt. Fear alerts you to wake up, pay attention, be aware of what is around you. This can be an amazing tool.

When you consider the fear that is felt from a fire along with evacuation, it is essential to having the adrenaline and presence to get out and be safe.

But, what if it’s not as extreme as a fire?

In nonlife-threatening situations, fear can also be a valuable tool.

When you step outside your comfort zone and begin to dream big and create something bigger then you have ever created before, fear is normal. But, what do you do with it?

Like I said earlier, fear is an instinct. This instinct triggers flight or fight.  It wakes us up and we become more present. This is good.

When this works against you, is when you experience fear in your business, and you bring it from an instinct (feeling) to an idea.

Let me explain.

When you feel fear it’s an instinct that says wake up and pay attention to what is going on around you. This is good for business, because you are more aware of what is going on around you. You are able to see more opportunity, be alerted to a wrong turn or move. You think clearer, etc.  

It’s when you take the fear (instinct) and bring thought to it, that it becomes an idea. You attach thought and a story to the fear. Bringing forward old patterns or excuses not to move forward.

Fear can be an enormous tool for you to grow a business, create the life you want, and have Joyful Play in your life.

Feel the fear and understand it’s alerting you of something. It does not have to be bad. It could be something very good. That’s calling you to be seen, heard and to really have an impact.

But, we attach thought to fear and create a story of “self-doubt”, “I’m not good enough”, “why would someone listen to me” etc.

Fear alerts you and creates more presence and awareness.  

In situations such as the fire, it helped people get their things together and get out. It brought about community and compassion to help each other. I witnessed people in tears and then coming together with others and finding laughter.

Were they scared? Yes.

Then there is the kind of fear of moving outside our comfort zone. This is the fear most of us attach a lot of story around. But you don’t have to. Here are a few steps to start using fear as a powerful tool in your life and your business when you are outside your comfort zone.

1. Be aware and look around – pause the judgment and access. When I was terrified to talk to people, this is how I began to overcome that fear. When I looked around and paused the self-doubting judgement, I began seeing people who I could serve. It became about them instead of about me. The fear disappeared.
2. Check in – is it really fear? – Fear and excitement have the same physiological response. The thought we attached to it, determines whether you decide its actually fear or excitement. I began checking in when I would get fearful and then decide to feel and see opportunity to serve. This would then feel like excitement for me. A chance to make a difference. I use this still today when I speak.
3. Feel it – Feel what is coming up for you.  Where are you feeling it in your body? Sit with it for just 30 seconds to a minute just allowing it to be there. This alone often reduces the feeling of fear.
4. Notice when it comes up – What are you doing? Who’s around? What’s at stake? My fear was always the strongest when I had to speak out around people I didn’t know. What was at stake? I guess pride, embarrassment, getting in trouble, etc. When I stopped to really notice this, I realized usually it was just as scary for anyone else I was talking to. I decided that most people want you to be successful. I know that is how I feel when I am with people.
5. Change the Story – When you get into fear, you don’t have to attach a negative story. What if you created a story of success and courage that propelled you forward?

Use fear as the powerful tool as you build your business, life, and discover Joyful Play for yourself.

You’ve got this!