By I spent years of my young adult life trying to become fearless.
People made it seem attainable, like I would eventually get to a place where fear was no longer a part of my story. I read countless self-help books. I did everything I could to combat the fear, but it raged and spread into all areas of my life.
Over the years, my thoughts on fear have changed. They say the Bible says 365 times, “Do not be afraid” (I haven’t counted). And yet, I still deal with fear. That doesn’t mean I don’t trust God. That doesn’t mean God isn’t big in my life. The fear exists. So now what?
I thought about this the other day as I got on a coaching call with a woman who recently wrote a book and is preparing to self-publish it. We talked about her fears around marketing the book– a concept I’m very familiar with after launching three books into the world.
Marketing is my least favorite part of the book-writing process. To me, it’s ten times harder than writing the book.
“The fear you are feeling around marketing and releasing this important thing into the world may never let up,” I confessed to her. “It may always be there. And so you might need a new goal. Not to beat the fear, but to move forward anyway.”
Fear wants to stop us in our tracks. Fear wants to keep us from moving forward. If it can do that then bingo- mission accomplished.
This is why so many people never step into the territories meant for them– the fear gets in and blocks their vision. The anxiety gets in and whispers, “Why even bother? Don’t try.”
Fear might start small, but the more you let it narrate the story, the cockier it becomes.
I’ve learned from my own experiences that God will cover me with his peace as long as I show up. It happens every time. But it never occurs early and rarely happens before I take that first step.
No matter how my anxiety rages, I do not let it cancel the outcome.
The fear you are facing feels very real and very present. No one is belittling that. But at some point, you must stop in the storm and ask yourself, “Is this taking from me? And if so, what?”
It might be time to stop waiting for the fear to release and tell yourself: I feel this fear. It feels authentic. But I will no longer allow it to steal good things from me. I will not let this fear change the outcome or dictate how I proceed. I will not allow this fear to keep me from moving into places I know are meant for me.
The sooner you begin telling yourself the bolder story, the sooner you can start to believe it.