I’ve never been much of a Star Wars fan, as my big brother can attest that the 5-year-old-Frannie cried the entire movie as I feared the Ewoks were going to evaporate from the big screen and into the seat next to me. I sat curled up in a ball, my legs tucked under me–just in case the furry critters had the ability to grab my ankles and devour me–with my head in my knees, one-eye on screen, the other super-glued shut.
While the 5 year old version of me may have feared monsters and the-ahead-of-his-time-George-Lucas-cinematography-effects, I am proud to say that I have overcome my fear of Ewoks and have grown to appreciate them. But I am not out of the dark.
Let’s be real. I have simply channeled those childhood fears into other areas of my adult life, thus resulting in creating limitations and boundaries on dreams, personal happiness, relationships and experiences. At times, these fears have paralyzed me and caused my own state of unhappiness and discontentment.
We know–most likely from personal experience–fear is a powerful force, and its consequences are many and varied. But I am going to venture that if we take time to be introspective, we can see patterns when we’ve overcome our fears–and have lived to tell about it.
I know that I have overcome numerous fears and continue to do so on a daily basis. It is important to remember that fear is inevitable and it’s not “bad,” unless we relinquish our power and surrender our control to it.
It takes courage to overcome and to continue to tackle fears head on. That’s what defines us. When we address our fears, we become more resilient, stronger, braver, wiser, more experienced, and so much more. And what’s even better, perhaps, is that we experience life to the fullest–healthier, stronger relationships, newfound experiences, less inhibitions, peace of mind, more confidence, extra energy…
All too often I work with women and girls who admit that the #1 reason they don’t do something is because they are afraid.
Afraid of failure.
Afraid of getting hurt.
Afraid of what others (of perceived influence) will think.
Afraid of judgement from her peers.
Afraid of being vulnerable.
It’s time to be empowered by your fear, to allow the fear to become the fuel for reaching your goal–whether weight loss, a career shift, running a 1/2 marathon, or something as “simple” as eliminating your afternoon Diet Coke in fear of a headache–it’s time to let the force be with you, but not overcome you.
It’s time to silence the Ewoks’ voices–the couldn’ts, shouldn’ts, won’ts, nevers, can’ts.
If you want to hear about how I overcome fear (yes, I have major fears EVERY DAY!) I will be doing a quick “Lunch and Learn” blab on Wednesday,
February 24 @ 12:00p.m. EST and would love to share some personal insight with you.
Register today to be a part of the blab, “May the Force Be with You: How to Overcome Your Fears and Rock Your Goals!” (FYI–all you need is a Twitter account and either FireFox or Google Chrome to be a part of the live event).
And if you can’t make the blab, let’s hop on a call, and see how I can help empower you with tools to overcome your fear, sunshine.
With powerful, fearless love,
