“You can do this. It’s easy. People love you, you are radiant and fun to talk to. Go inside, be present, and listen. Do you, and do it well.” my pep talk to myself wasn’t working so well. The “yeah right”s and the “boooooring!”s of the dark places of my soul were creeping in. “What is wrong with you? Do you think other people doubt themselves? No. … Wait. Do they?” I call my friend Amanda.
“Helloooooo, love!” she sang on the other end of the line.
“Hi! (big smile) I’m on my way to this event to (gulp) network with some potential clients and I just don’t really want to walk inside. I’m scared they won’t like me or that I’ll talk too much or that I’m overdressed or that I’m not cool enough or something.” I whined.
“Hmmmm. I’m scared too, Val.” Amanda said. “Owning a business, putting yourself out there with the potential for rejection, paying the bills, taking care of yourself…all of it is scary. I have those fears too, girl. And I’m glad we have each other to call and have thatclearing around our Fears. Do you feel better?”
I paused, and thought about my carefree childhood days. “You know when you went to camp as a little kid and you made a Dream Catcher and you would hang it above your bed to catch all of your dreams and hold them in a safe place? Well, what if we made Fear Catchers instead…. and every time we are fearful we can send those fears off to our Fear Catcher to hold in a safe place. Because we need those Fears – they are what drive us and motivate us – but we don’t need them right in front of our face each step of the way. Amanda, I’ll be your Fear Catcher if you will be mine. Can you do that for me?”
I could tell she was smiling on the other end of the line. “Of course. It’s so nice to know I have a Fear Catcher to take those Fears out of my line of sight and hold me accountable to my goals and dreams right behind the fear.”
You see, Fear (and it’s ever growing dark shadows of Shame and Doubt) knock on every door, darken every corner. You are not alone. AND, you can change the shape of Fear, give it a new place to live, keep it safe and sound so it always lives up to the purpose you decide it has in your life. Fear is Motivation, Fear is Action, Fear is Learning. Fear likes solitude so that you believe you are all alone with it and that it is safe to take over your life. Fear is always looking for a home, a place to build a nest, settle in, and take over. So build a Fear Catcher, give it a beautiful home, capture each and every Fear, and harness the power. Be a Fear Catcher for someone else and your own Fear will never take up residence in your soul.
