Do it afraid

When my son Carson was only 5, we got a new puppy, Jeter. While Jeter was still in the habit of biting little toes, poor Carson would run from chair to chair, keeping his toes tucked up underneath him for protection. Eventually, he learned how to take control of the dog, the dog eventually learned not to bite, and they became the best of friends. 

One-Minute Life Hack

Sometimes the very things we want the most scare us. The bigger the idea, the scarier it seems to be...the more "impossible". It may even feel like we don't deserve to have, do or be it. 

In the John Maxwell Team, we call this the "Terror Barrier". You know the feeling...it comes up as soon as you begin to explore the possibilities of growth for your life. Shortly after you begin to take action towards your dreams, the fear kicks in. We pull up our proverbial feet, hoping to be able to interact with our dream without having to face the sharp teeth that we fear accompany the process of getting out of our comfort zone. 

It's important to remember that everyone experiences the Terror Barrier. For the first while, we run on motivation and excitement. But once our belief systems kick in we start thinking things like, "What was I thinking? I can't do this. I don't have time. I don't even deserve to be successful at this." The fear kicks in and we are now faced with a critical choice:

Will I turn around and go back to my comfort zone? 
or
Will I move through the fear and do it afraid? 

I am no exception. Becoming a coach has been exciting...and scary. finding peace with food has been exciting...and scary. Putting together From Food to Faith groups has been exciting...and scary. ALL processes that lead to actual growth include the element of fear, and the critical decision to move through the fear by doing it anyway...in other words, do it afraid.

When we face our fears of doing something but do it anyway, that is when we have the power to break through the Terror Barrier and actually attain a new level of success...an increase in our joy...another layer added to our comfort zone. 

I have learned enough now that I know I won't turn back, no matter how afraid I am. Why? Because the proverbial puppies that I was afraid of yesterday have become my best friends of today, moving me ever closer to the life of joy and significance I long for. So I can boldly declare, today I choose to do it afraid. ​Tomorrow I will choose to do it afraid. And I hope you will choose to do it afraid with me!

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