Since it is Halloween, I thought it might be good to talk about things that are scary. No, I am not really talking about ghost and goblins, but what are the things that scare us and hold us back from moving forward?
It is pretty common to be scared when you are trying something new. For example, I remember when I was little and I rode a bike without training wheels or swam in the deep end of the pool for the first time. It was scary, but I did it and then it wasn’t scary anymore. Why does fear show up? It keeps you small, it tells you that you aren’t good enough in comparison to others, it keeps you in your comfort zone…basically, it is trying to keep you safe and protect you. If you go along with the fear, then you will be safe. But you also won’t try anything new or have new experiences which prevent you from growing and developing.
When some of my clients are about to start something brand new that is out of their comfort zone, they may start to have some feelings of doubt. Questions that are going through their minds like…”What was I thinking when I said yes to this? What if they find out I don’t know enough? What if I fail?” This is our friend fear talking. But what is interesting about fear is that many of these things are not real. These are the things that they imagine could happen. So why spend so much time worrying about them?
What if they chose to look at these new experiences from a positive standpoint? “What could I learn if I try this? Who could I meet that I wouldn’t have known before? What if I am great at this?” It sounds so much more empowering, doesn’t it? Remember that we always have a choice when we are entering new situations. We can choose to look at the negative where we see ghosts and goblins or we can look at the positive and realize that the ghosts and goblins were only a figment of our imaginations.
Facing your fears is so important in your personal and professional life. My own experience helped me see that if I didn’t face my fear, it was going to continue to show up. I hired a coach to help me build my self-awareness around fear to be able to move past it. I can help you do this too. Set up a complimentary session with me so we can talk about how coaching can help you move past your fear too. Here is the link: http://susanmbarber.com/schedule-an-appointment/
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!