Lately, when I feel that bubble of fear start to float downwards in my stomach, and my instincts tell me to get the hell outa’ whatever situation is causing that feeling, I’ve been asking myself questions about the future me. Questions like:
Who do I want to be tomorrow – someone who faced this fear today, or someone who ran from it?
Will the action (or inaction) I take today make me braver, wiser, stronger tomorrow? Or will it make me weak, stuck and powerless?
Will it break away at those negative cycles of behaviour and hardwired limiting beliefs and behaviours? Or will it reinforce them, and strengthen the bars of my cage?
Will it bring me closer to the me that I want to be, or further from it?
Will it make courageous action tomorrow an easier pursuit, or a harder one?
These questions have really helped me lately (especially in the first few minutes before a challenge when my fight, flight and freeze is really kicking in) to focus on what I want in the long-term, rather than my need to escape that short-term discomfort.
I just really want things to get easier for my self of tomorrow. And I know that avoidance and escape will only make things even harder for her, than they are for me today.
I don’t want to put her through it. I can’t. I won’t.
So I’ll step up, take a stand and face my fears today, as a favour to her… knowing that my courage today, will feed her courage and confidence tomorrow.
Anxious-Ambition.com 