Fear. Fear is probably the number-one obstacle each of us needs to overcome. You may think you aren’t afraid, but I guarantee there is some kind of fear whispering in your ear. Fear shows up in a variety of ways, and it isn’t always obvious. You may not even recognize fear.
You may talk yourself out of something because you don’t believe you can do it. That is fear of failure. You may think you are being practical and realistic. You may tell yourself that you are being honest. But the truth is very likely that you just don’t want to take the risk.
I know. This one is me. Fear of failure is the fear that most often stops me from trying something. I’ve come a long way. But it still whispers in my ear. “What if . . . ?”
What to Say to Fear
When fear whispers, here’s what to say: “You may be right. I may fall on my face, but I am going to try anyway!”
I came to a point in my life where I decided that I didn’t want fear to be the reason I didn’t do something. I didn’t want fear to keep me from fulfilling my God-given destiny and potential. Fear of failure was always standing in the path. I decided to push fear aside and do it anyway.
Eleanor Roosevelt is quoted as saying, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I picked up a magnet with that quotation from Valkill, Eleanor Roosevelt’s home in Hyde Park, New York. I used to live just a few miles away and passed the property every day on my way to the library at Haviland Middle School, which, by the way, had been built under the direction of and was officially dedicated by Franklin D. Roosevelt. That magnet is on my refrigerator as a reminder to do it afraid. Remembering where I purchased it is a reminder of just how far I’ve come.
My friend, you can do this! Just keep moving forward one scared step at a time.
What’s more important, your fear or your potential? Isn’t obeying God’s call on your life your highest priority? Of course, it is. Giving God your YES means that you do it afraid. You say YES to the thing that scares you, the thing you are afraid of failing at, and you do it anyway.
Writing a book can be one of those things, right? Well, here I am! I have finally created a schedule that works, and at this moment have finished my initial draft and am working through what I’ve already written to perfect and fine-tune it before passing it on to fresh eyes. This little section is a newer addition to my first draft. But this part isn’t scary right now. It’s the next part that is. How do I find a good editor, and what will they say about my draft? Is it good enough? What about all the other steps toward publication? There it is. The infamous “What if” again.
There are a lot of scaries in this process, but if you are reading this book, then it means I have done it afraid. If I can do it, so can you!
Excerpt from The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word by Cathleen Zahradnik. Check it out here. If you’ve read the book, please leave a review on Amazon to help other people find it!