Last week, Denise Conroy made this transparent post on LinkedIn about why she disagreed when people called her "fearless." I agreed with her reasoning 100%. Because the goal in life shouldn't be to become fearless but to turn FEAR into an ASSET!!!
Yes, when used the right way, fear can become an asset. But before going further on why fear should be viewed as an asset, let me give you two reasons why aspiring to be fearless is a waste of time and energy:
Reason 1- You, my friend, are HUMAN!!! Yes, you are created in the image of God, but you are not GOD!!!
Reason 2- No matter how powerful you get or how much wealth you acquire, you have been given an Achilles heel to remind you of your limits.
So instead of aspiring to be something you could never be, let's focus on making fear an asset. One of the ways to do that is to change your view of it.
Instead of viewing fear as a negative emotion, see it as a Red Flag or a Stop Sign that signals your brain to proceed with caution in certain situations where you care deeply about the outcome. For example: before starting a new relationship, before taking the next logical step, before signing that contract, etc... Unless you are paranoid or your natural senses are out of order, fear is a healthy feeling and should be seen as that gut feeling or friend who reminds you to look both ways before crossing or take a second or a third look before proceeding. I can't tell you how often my fear of losing money or my peace of mind has helped me stay focused and increased my attention to detail.
As we continue to navigate 2023, I encourage you to see fear as a legit feeling and not dismiss it. And if you tell me: “Emma, I fear everything.” That’s when you know that the real problem is not fear; it’s YOU!!! You have lost trust in yourself and your ability to make sound judgments, which is why everything makes you panic. Go to the source of your fear: your heart. Listen to it to know how to heal it so you can start trusting it again.
Remember, you can’t do life right if the inside is not right. You can’t achieve your Big Audacious Goal (BAG) if you don’t learn to make fear an asset.
Until next time,
Emma