Fear is a real thing. It’s extremely powerful and it stands in the way of many things, good things and bad things. Sometimes, it’s totally natural and even desired to be afraid of something, like for example bears. But then there’s fear that prevents us from trying something new, venturing into the unknown because the possibility of failure is more than we can handle. The fear of being rejected, embarrassed, laughed at, or turned down stops us from even considering stepping out of our comfort zone.
I am not going to tell you to stop being afraid. Just the opposite. Fear is a strong emotion, a force that can be used and channelled into something amazing. To quote one of favourite movie characters, Rocky Balboa, “When you are afraid, you try harder.” Why is that? Well, consider the opposite state of mind, total confidence and assurance of yourself and your skills. You are relaxed and complacent. You are not trying to learn anymore or improve yourself. You’ve arrived, you think. The problem is, there’s always someone better than you and you should never stop learning and working on yourself. Or you will get a rude awakening one day and it will crush you.
What comes to mind is an awesomely amazing women’s MMA fight between Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey. Ronda was a super star. She thought she reached the top of the mountain, she was already there and she didn’t try as hard as she should have. She was oozing confidence and badassness. All the smart money were betting on her. Holly, on the other hand, didn’t think she was the best, so she crossed every “t” and dotted every “i” in her training. End result, Holly pushed through fear and trained hard delivering her an amazing victory. The kick that was heard around the world. And Ronda, being out of shape, didn’t think she should trying hard because she thought she was the best, got a crushing defeat that tarnished her record, derailed her career and even more importantly delivered a harsh blow to her spirit.
So should you be afraid? Yes, be afraid. Don’t fight this natural energy. Be afraid of being complacent. Be afraid of thinking you’ve got it all together. Be afraid, but push through that wall and use the energy the fear provides you with, to be better, to try harder, to learn more. You’ll be surprised how much you will be able to achieve.
