A friend once said to me, “I don’t do fear”. I was like, “WOW”, what a way to think! She would share stories with me of times in her life when she faced so much adversity that fear was never an option for her – she had to survive! This woman is one super BRAVE lady!

Today though, as I reflect back on that enlightening conversation, I think of all the times in my younger life when being “fearful” was actually a positive for me.

I was sometimes fearful of my teachers at school, so much so, I would do extra studying after school, just so I could get the teacher’s question right in class. Overall, I think that did me a litte bit of good – especially in Accounts, which I hated but passed with flying colours!

I was lots of times fearful of doing talks and presentations in front of a little or a lot of people. This fear was also good, because it made me practice and practice and PRACTICE in order to improve and become better at it. In a weird sort of way, I still find it easier to talk to a live audience of thousands of people, rather than an intimate bunch of 20. Give me a huge big stage and I’m comfortably on it! I also have a very loud voice and super high energy – so I guess it all fits!

I’m certainly not advocating all fear, I just think, sometimes it can work to your advantage in certain ‘self-development’ circumstances.

Where, I think fear did not work for me, was when I pulled myself out of the running races at School because I knew I wasn’t fast enough to beat some other runners. In my head at the time, I thought, I’m not entering this competition because I won’t win the gold medal and I don’t want silver or bronze – how super childish is that thinking!

That type of silly thinking also straddled into my young work life when I didn’t go for early promotions because I thought other colleagues would get the job over me and I didn’t want to deal with the hurt, embarrassment and rejection. So this type of fear that I am describing, is really NOT good. Thankfully, those types of fear I just don’t have anymore and nothing like that ever holds me back from “giving it a go”.

Today, I am a “face fear head on” type of person – if I’m fearful – then I must do it – that’s it!

Imagine yourself today, STRONG, FEARLESS and POWERFUL – now what you going to do about it?

By Clarabelle, London, UK
Created on 9 August 2022
Posted to Blog on 29 August 2022