What’s fear got to do, got to do with it?
What’s fear, but a second-hand emotion? Ohhh, what’s fear got to do, go to do with it? Who needs to feel fear, when you can just trust yourself and do it anyway?! If you’re not rocking out to Tina Turner in your head right, we think differently. My girl Tina was right. Second-hand emotions have nothing to do with it. But sometimes everything to do with what’s standing in your way.
Fear is a second-hand emotion. Fear stops you dead in tracks, it’s what it was programmed to do. You meet a bear in the woods. Will you stay and fight? Or run away and hide? These are your options when fear is in-charge of making decisions. Now I don’t claim to be a bear expert, but I’ve seen my fair share of nature shows and I doubt you can outrun a bear. Unless of course, you are with a friend that is a slower runner than you. But for the sake of this argument, you are alone with fear.
You can’t outrun fear. Feel the fear. Do it anyway.
You know that icky feeling you in your body get when you just feel stuck in your mind? Yeah, that’s fucking fear telling you that you can’t handle the ______! Insert whatever you are currently struggling with in the blank and make sure to say it in Jack Nicolson’s booming voice as he sits on trial with his guilt. Fear fucking sucks. But if you trust yourself enough. If you believe in yourself, then what the fuck would you ever have to fear?
My podcast co-host, Kristen Aguirre, had a damn stroke and bounced back able to walk, talk, and take on the world again. This girl can do ANYTHING! It doesn’t mean sure still doesn’t feel fear after getting fired. She’ll be the first to tell you that she sits in the shit with these fears. And then the next day she gets up and does it anyway.
I remember when I finally got brave enough (and old enough) to jump off the high dive at the local public pool. Fun Katie fact, I’m irrationally afraid of heights. So little Katie was real damn scared as she climbed up the ladder and stepped out onto the diving board. I remember taking my first step onto the part of the diving board that moves and being so freaked out I jumped back and thought about turning around. I was scared. I didn’t trust myself to walk out onto that diving board and take a leap of faith and trust myself to dive into the water and come back up for air again.
I was afraid. I didn’t believe that I could handle something scary and new.
But I did it anyway.
Back to those second-hand emotions Tina was preaching about. She stopped letting a second-hand emotion like fear prevent her from seeking a better life for herself. Fuck you Ike Turner! And good for her for feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
Courage is knowing what not to fear. There is nothing to fear, but fear itself. Have the courage to know that you can handle anything life throws your way. Use your courage to recognize the universe is here for you. If you’re a believer, you already know God is here for you.
As long as you continue to grow, you will continue to feel fear. Do it anyway.
Future you will thank you.
What are you currently tolerating in life? What would you do differently if you knew that you could handle anything life throws your way? And most importantly, whoo will support you along the way?
