Inspirations - Embrace your fears

Image: Unsplash

Image: Unsplash

"I've been terrified every day of my life, but that has never stopped me from doing everything I wanted to do." — Georgia O’Keefe

What scares you?

We're all afraid. Fear is a natural response when we don't know what's next, attempt something new, push our comfort zone out a little further. We give it far too much power. Fear is an emotion. A thought. A tightness in our stomach. A feeling in our body.

It comes and it goes. Unless, of course, we hold on to it hard and fast, identify it with ourselves and refuse to let go. Which we do. All of us. Sometimes.

Only we can stop ourselves from doing what we really want to do. Feeling afraid — or terrified, as the artist Georgia O'Keefe describes — can't do that. The key is to be aware of how you feel. Admit it. Embrace it, even.

Yes. Embrace what scares you. Make friends with it.

Stop hiding out for a minute and remember that everyone has fears. Invite the lion in for tea, a meditation teacher once told me. That's a lesson some of us need to hear over and over again, but it transforms our experience every time we do it.

What are you scared to do this week? Embrace it.