Forward Without Fear: Tame Fear & Live Life
FEAR: False evidence appearing real.
Fear is merely an illusion created by your mind. It’s a normal emotion that often holds us back from achieving success in life. We all experience fear from time to time. The trick is not to let it prevent you from taking action. I turned to social media to find out what some brilliant, kind and remarkable women fear most and how they overcame it.
The Fear: Failure
Overcoming It: “Never giving up. Perseverance has been key.” ~ Cíaná, CFE, Esquire
The Fear: Dying
Overcoming It: “I was always afraid of dying… but coming so close to death a couple times brought me closer to God and brought a faith in me that helped me overcome it! Survived late stage lung cancer, a widow maker heart attack and now two different breast cancers. What are the odds? Lol. God has been soooo good to me!” ~ Michelle, Retired Nurse
The Fear: Inability to create positive impact on my children
Overcoming It: “I try my best to parent my children by explaining things, helping them process their feelings and emotions, and by recognizing that I can’t parent both of them the same exact way because each child is unique with different personalities, needs and wants. It’s a tough job, but it’s my personal mission to help shape them into outstanding individuals.” ~ Priya, Program Manager
The Fear: Mediocre living
Overcoming It: “I fight against it everyday.” ~ Simone, Entertainment Production
The Fear: Driving on the freeways of Atlanta
Overcoming It: “God blessed me with a dream job that was about 25 miles from my house. The freeway was between me and my dream job, so I just had to face it...” ~ Phyllis, Book Publisher
The Fear: Walking away from everything
Overcoming It: “I thought about what was more important for me. It was the best move I ever made!” ~ Karen, Airline Management
The Fear: Health
Overcoming It: “As we age, women have so many health issues to consider - menopause, osteoporosis, heart disease, arthritis. To combat this I exercise, keep my annual check-ups, become more educationally aware, self-care, get sun and try to practice good eating habits — find balance.” ~ Teresa, Retired IT
There is nothing we can’t overcome when we have each other. Yet, the more we hide what we go through, the more alone in life we are. We’re wired to pay attention to things that are scary — worry is a way to anticipate possible dangers and problem-solve our way through them. When we share who we really are, we create the opportunity to be stronger than what holds us back. We weren’t meant to save the world (even though we think we can). Focus on what you can control — embrace unsettling emotions and live. What fears are you proud to be conquering?
Crystal Walker is the chief communicator and creative strategist for CrystaRene Consulting and a regular contributor at Hope magazine. Crystal is a published writer, event planner, voice-over talent, graphic designer, educator, communications coach and former radio personality.