I’ve been thinking a lot about fear recently. Or more accurately FEELING afraid. And isn’t fear our friend, isn’t it about keeping us safe? Why would I plunge forward, into uncharted territory? When my mind says “stop”, “what if it doesn’t work out?”, why wouldn’t I listen? I have opened my own independent practice, which feels like flying without a net. And fear is whispering in my ear that it isn’t safe, there is no security, what if no one comes? And I realized that fear can be our friend, it can help us stay safe, but it can also help us stay stuck. Because fear also lies.
And what a wonderful humbling experience. I used my counseling skills on me. What are the tools available to overcome anxiety? Challenging negative thoughts, going to worst case scenario, examining the evidence that supports the fear, AS WELL AS the evidence that my new practice will be a success. Without a willingness to push through fear, how do you grow? And the fear clients overcome, to even contemplate counseling, to make that call, to walk in that door, is the beginning of something big.
One of my favorite books, Girl Quit Apologizing, by Rachel Hollis, talks about our self- limiting beliefs, the barriers those beliefs present to living our best life. Where would you go, what would you do, if you could overcome your fear? Martin Luther King once said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” Whatever your first step looks like, I want to encourage you to move in the direction of the life you want. It’s scary, but the rewards are great.