Hi again,
I wanted to share a story with you that I thought might resonate with your own experience of fear. A few days ago I was hanging out with one of my best friends who I know for some time has been really unhappy in her job. To say that she is over-worked and underpaid would be an understatement. And I have to say, as someone who is close to her, I’ve seen how hating her job has started to permeate other areas of her life and diminish the joy I’m used to seeing. Naturally, as her friend, I want her to be happy, and as a woman entrepreneur, I want her to be paid what she deserves!
I started to steer the conversation toward the possibility of her starting her own business so that she could do what she’s REALLY passionate about. Her energy shifted, and I as I watched tears welling up in her eyes she said, “I’m just so scared.”
And to be honest I don’t remember what my response was. Probably something along the lines of, “You can do it!” or, “I’ll help you!” What I DO remember is coming home that night and actually feeling really excited for her! Seeing the true fear in my friend’s eyes allowed me to feel how badly she wanted it! What I’ve realized over the past year of really stepping into my own fear, is that sometimes the depth of our fear is actually just an indicator of how badly we actually want something.
So I started doing a little exercise in my mind and thought about a number of things that could be scary on my own career path, and noticing which ones brought up fear responses in my body (queasiness in my stomach, the sensation of dizziness, tightness in my chest). A few of the possibilities I pondered were:
Speaking in front of large audiences (fear response!)
Creating financial abundance for myself (fear response!)
Taking a job at a large corporation (no fear response)
And as I played this little game with myself, I realized that the absence of fear isn’t always a sign of the “right” path. Because I don’t aspire to be President, nor work at a large corporation, not much happens when I think about those possibilities. They don’t scare me, but they don’t excite me either.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I have suffered greatly from anxiety and indecision in the past (and of course I still do sometimes!) and that I used to just steer clear from things that scared me. No thank you. See ya! But I finally realized how much I was holding myself back from what I really wanted in my life and pretending that the fear response meant I was headed in the wrong direction. And of course now that I’ve started to walk that path through my fear, and experienced how empowered I feel now, my passion has become helping other people do the same thing. And so I’m curious…
What is scaring the crap out of you right now?
Would you be willing to take one step in the direction toward that thing that scares you?
What would it take to get you to wander in the direction of your own fear?
I’d love to hear your own experiences. If you’re feeling ready to take that first scary step but looking for a little support, I’ve got limited spots available for complimentary 30 minute How to Turn Your Passion into Profit Business Strategy Sessions to see if we’d be a good fit to work together. If you’re feeling ready for ACTION, I want to speak with you! Just fill out this quick survey so I can learn a bit more about you!
Lots of love!
Emily
p.s. If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’d love to see you at my next live event, the Advanced version of my How to Network Like a Pro workshop on December 5th, from 5:30-7:30pm at the HUB San Francisco. It’s going to be super participatory, you’ll definitely meet some cool people, and we’ll also have some healthy snacks to keep you energized. I would love to see you there!