Evicting Mr. Fear

I've been surprised by how many people have told me how amazed they are by everything that I do and the different hats that I wear... as if I'm some sort of super woman with super powers... or something.  In all reality... I DO do a lot...  I'm a mom of five.  I'm on a soccer board.  I'm a soccer coach.  I'm a singer in a band.  I'm on the PTO board for the kiddos school.  I'm a doula.  I'm a Diamond Beachbody Coach and team leader, and the list goes on.

Well... I'm about to give you some REALLY breaking news.  Wait for it... wait for it...  I'M NOT A SUPER HERO!!!!!!  LOL  Okay... so, most of you probably already know that part.  It actually just looks like a lot more than it really is.  To be honest... I don't do those things because I'm something you're not.  I just up and decide to do something, and then I actually do it.

Something very few people know about me is something I battle virtually EVERY day.   I often live with this huge ball of anxious energy that fills my chest... and sometimes even overflows into what you could call an adult TANTRUM (yes... I did just say that I've been known to throw a tantrum... OH NO!!!).  And the name of this crazy ball of energy???  You guessed it... FEAR!  Fear of change... fear of sacrifice... fear of loss... and the biggest one???  Yeah... you know it.  My biggest deepest darkest most extreme fear?  The fear of failure.

Sometimes it's an underlying fear of failure... and sometimes it's a more ominous fear of failure.  It doesn't matter if I'm cleaning my kitchen, sewing a blanket for my kiddos or creating a new training system for my Beachbody coaches.  The underlying theme is that of perfectionism... which is fueled by fear... the fear of failure.

If you follow my Facebook page or have heard any of my recent "rants," you'll know that my new life theme is this... "Let go of the fear!  LIVE FEARLESSLY!!!"  This isn't a random theme that I just came up with out of the blue.  No... no... it goes MUCH deeper than that.

Imagine this... I'm outside for a run... someone completely dressed in black... looking more like a shadow then a man... is not far behind me...  I turn to see who's there, and realize that I'm being chased.  This... my friend... is Mr. Fear.  I can feel his shadow already... and I'm getting tired... but knowing what Mr. Fear has to offer... and sensing it already... I push on.  I could quit and just give in, but I can clearly see the finish line.  It's pretty far out there... but it's there, and I KNOW what I want.  I know WHY I WILL NOT give in.  So I just run harder.  REFUSING to let Mr. Fear stop me.  It is sheer willpower that keeps me going.

So, what do I do???  I tell myself every day... "Let go of the fear!"  And I tell my challengers... "Let go of the fear!"  And I tell my children... "Let go of the fear!"  Why????  Because it's the FEAR that stops us from living our dreams.  It's the fear that tells us we are not good enough.  It's the fear that whispers in our ears... "I can't do it."

Every day when I work out and I'm tired and I just want to stop, I hear that voice over and over saying... "I can't do it."  And I just shut that thought right up and push on.  Every time I go to try something new, again, I hear... "I can't do it."  And yes... I want to quit.  I REALLY want to quit, because if I don't start, I can't fail... right???  But I don't give in.  I just tell that voice to be QUIET!

Fear is a driving factor in who we allow ourselves to become and what we allow ourselves to do.  Will we allow Mr. Fear to decide who we are going to be?  What we will accomplish?  Will we let him determine our endgame?  I say NO.  Absolutely NOT.

You might let me know you're there, Mr. Fear.  You might even put a little terror in my heart from time to time.  BUT... I WILL continue to evict you.  I will NOT let YOU decide who I am or who I will become.  I am DONE giving in to the fear.  I am DONE allowing the fear to live my life for me.  

I am not far from being at the often dreaded "half-way point" in life.  And I REFUSE to let Mr. Fear decide what I will accomplish or who I will become.  I will put him in his place and tell him that he has absolutely NO hold over me.    

And the real beauty of it all?  It's that we CAN decide.  It's not easy.  It's pretty darn scary at times.  But letting go of fear does NOT mean that we never feel fear.  It means we will NOT allow fear to enter and settle in and make a home in our heart... in our life.  We will continue EVERY day to tell Mr. Fear to GET OUT.

What are YOUR biggest fears?  What's stopping YOU from living YOUR dream?  Instead of just watching your life happen before you like a pre-written script...  Stop.  Write down a list of your fears.  Face them.  And then make that decision to LET. THEM. GO.

You MUST DECIDE to evict Mr. Fear.  It might be a decision that you make ten times a day.  But go ahead and make it.  Don't let Mr. Fear decide for you.  He is nothing but a shadow.

It's time for you to shine.  So go write your list.  Send Mr. Fear on his way.  Be like Nike and JUST DO IT!  ;)