What are you afraid of? Being rejected… Feeling stupid… Moving to a space of insecurity… Being negatively judged… Failing… Or is it that you’re not valuable at all?
Fear is a beast, isn’t it? The monster creeps into your brain making a mess out of the well designed estate. It breaks the things you love, replaces them with things you hate. Those things don’t define you, represent you, understand you, care about you. Fear brings in the worst possible items and then brings out the worst in ourselves.
What does your fear look like? Mine is everything I tried to be at one point in my life when I was contorting myself into other’s expectations. It’s a shell of what I once was, where I never want to go back again. It’s filled with my pride and yet ready to squash all I’ve become.
Who Do We Listen To?
I do things differently. It’s what I think makes me special. I learned after living with my first love that I did not want the house in the suburbs. My life would be in the city, filled with adventure and travel. I was never someone with a ticking biological clock so birthing kids wasn’t part of my vision. And did I mention my professional ambition? Pretty non-traditional if you believe all of those fairytales. Ten years ago, a friend told me that all of my business travel would prevent me from finding a husband. (Insert dream man proving that theory wrong shortly after those words were uttered.) The point is, we’ve been taught to conform is so many ways. So of course those moments of fear are debilitating.
On the flip side we’re told to stand out in business. That’s a mixed message, too. Be different but approachable. Unique but willing to blend. Exciting but not “too much.” Niche down but maybe be open to more. What part of those messages should we be paying attention to?
Instead of Fear, Try Intuition
As I work diligently to remove “should” from my vocabulary, I encourage you to do the same. Instead, start looking within. It’s your intuition that knows the answer. There is a significant amount of noise from the outside world that can make it difficult to hear your inner voice. My recipe is simple: a change of space and time to be in silence. Seems simple enough, right?
Now try penciling that into your busy day between meetings, grocery shopping, drinks with friends, helping kids with homework, sending family birthday messages, and on and on and on. This is one of the gifts that wellness travel brings. Space, silence, intention, and time to reconnect with your intuition. The real bonus is learning how to create this space, silence, intention, and reconnection when you return home. Because that’s where we need it most often. Unless of course you can travel monthly when fear makes a cameo. If so, please take me with you.
These are practices I’ve put into play because of what I’ve learned through wellness and healing travel. No matter how often fear comes to visit, eventually I end up back in the same space. Listening to my heart, my intuition, my inner voice, my knowing. Whatever you like to call it, I’ll tell you it does not lie or tell you that you “should” do anything.
Tips for Creating Space to Listen
I’ve learned that fear creeps into my business quarterly. Now instead of allowing it to take over, I shift the energy to innovate. I love to learn so I explore through webinars, group coaching, reading non-fiction, watching documentaries, and listening to podcasts. In these spaces I find inspiration. Plus, the knowledge supports me and my clients. While I’m bulking up my brain power, I intentionally take time for mental stillness. Here are a few practices I use to recalibrate:
- Guided meditations (I prefer ones focused on chakra balancing or manifesting)
- Transcendental meditation
- Adult coloring books
- Yoga (even 10 minutes on the mat can change your perspective)
- A meditative walk outside
I want to hear from you. How does fear manifest for you? What is it that scares you deep down? Have you found ways to overcome these moments or ride the wave? Send me an email and tell me or shoot me a DM on Instagram. jackie@inspiredjourneyconsulting.com or @InspiredJourneyConsulting