I DON'T THINK IS POSSIBLE TO BE HUMAN WITHOUT FEAR
The answer isn’t to remove it somehow. I don’t think it’s possible, not all the way. Perhaps the only way to remove fear is to never try to do anything you fear, which would make for a pretty terrible way to live, in my opinion.
It’s also not realistic to just ignore fear. That won’t make it go away.
I think the answer is to first, acknowledge our fear, accept that it’s there, and break it down a bit:
What would you do if you weren’t afraid of;
✓ failing
✓ ignoring your work
✓ who you are working with
✓ disappointing someone
✓ unavailable of enough raw material for effective production
✓ disappointing your own expectations
✓ looking like a fool
✓ not fitting into your own story
✓ not making money
✓ having to give up and try again?
✓ not making progress and lots more.
Most of my life artwork was something I dabbled in, very occasionally, but never allowed myself to swim into. It was an “extra”, something to which I didn’t allow myself to dedicate more time and interest because “it wasn’t moving my career forward or helping me take care of myself and family.”
Well, 22 years of keeping it inside ended with a bang, almost literally. I have created more artwork in the last few years than I have during all the years before or than I could have anticipated. And I love creating it, so much.
Which brings me to fear.
Because I have a lot of fear about getting my art out there.
About admitting – to myself, mostly – that perhaps it’s not such an extra. That perhaps it’s core to what I do, how I live, what I have to share with the world.
About trying to do something more with it and failing.
About not being able to figure out how to make it a genuine, vs. forced, part of what I do – for work, for life, as a human.
I have fear about sharing it broader and no one cares.
I fear that it’s not good enough.
Though some people describe me as fearless. And while I think it was meant as a compliment, I don’t think it’s possible to be human and have no fear. Not if you’re trying to do something new, something creative, something that brings you to your edge, in whatever way. And we all do that in some way, so we all fear.
We have to start by figuring out exactly what we’re afraid of. (No guarantee that you’ll like the answers, but you’ll learn a lot about yourself. Spoken from first-hand experience, yes!)
Moreover, I try to move from a place of fear to a place of love.
I know, I know. These are big words and when I first started thinking about this my reaction to my own thoughts was to try to dismiss them as too vague, too wishy-washy, too, you know, out there.
But actually it’s pretty tangible and concrete:
We can either make decisions from fear or from love.
There are many words you can substitute for love: passion, commitment, trust, kindness, dedication, faith, abundance, gratitude and what have you. We may use different words but I know you know what I mean.
What would you do differently if you could shift from a place of fear to a place of:
✓ love of doing what you do
✓ trust in the good intentions of others
✓ commitment to your purpose
✓ strength of your convictions
✓ gratitude for having an opportunity to do something
✓ dedication to a cause, big or small
faith in kindness
✓ passion or excitement for something in your life
✓ belief in your own ability to overcome challenges?
I realize I’m offering more questions than answers, but I’m learning that might be the point. Sometimes, we have to change the question to get more clarity about the answer.
So my question for you and me today is:
What would you do differently if you moved from a place of fear to a place of love?
Love you guys!🥰❤️👍