Grapple with Fear and Live Boldly
A person oblivious to fear doesn’t enjoy the thrill of achievement. But anxiety gone mad rejects exploring all together.
Fear makes us like, “the farmer is endeavoring to solve the problem of a livelihood by a formula more complicated than the problem itself.” (Apologies to Henry David Thoreau for misapplying a brilliant sentence.)
Simplicity offends anxiety. Complexity comforts fear by providing excuses to play it safe.
Fear endorses:
- Inaction.
- Avoidance.
- Conformity.
- Self-doubt.
- Withdrawal.
- Negative self-talk.
- Procrastination.
“It’s ruinous to be anxious about the future and miserable in advance of misery.” Seneca
Fearless:
You might blow yourself up if you were fearless. But imagine living boldly.
#1. Bold flexibility.
Confidence steps into uncertainty prepared to adapt. Anxiety requires perfection. Perfectionists live small lives.
#2. Realistic decision-making.
Dread lives to avoid. Courage seizes opportunities.
Stop living to prevent things from happening.
What future can you create today?
#3. Deep insight.
My wife planted a small garden this spring. She comes in some days saying, “Next year I’m not going to plant herbs in the garden.” Or, “We need to stake the tomatoes better next year.”
Inaction gives the illusion of knowledge. Action promotes insight.
The person with dirt under their nails really knows.
Act boldly today:
#1. Don’t visualize success.
Visualize the steps toward success.
You can visualize a garden all you want but nothing happens until you get dirty.
#2. Forget about bold moves.
When anxiety has you by the throat make a series of small moves. If you don’t die keep making small moves.
#3. Reject the myth of quick success.
Embrace effortful effort.
#4. Jettison the need to feel confident.
Our need to feel confident while filled with anxiety multiplies discouragement. Embrace lack of confidence. “Well, hello there Mr. Anxiety. I’ve been expecting you. Fasten your seatbelt. We’re moving forward.”
What are some ways to tap into boldness?
Still curious:
The Real Advantage of Fear and Anxiety in Leadership
7 Ways to Find Graceful Boldness
What is the Function of Fear in Leadership?
John David Mann and I invite you to pre-order our new book, The Vagrant: The Inner Journey of Leadership.
I love the reminders here, Dan. I’m trying to tap into boldness using some of these ideas; getting comfortable with fear, recognizing it, and figuring out small ways I can break the project / problem down into small manageable steps or habits. I say it is a reminder as I’m currently re-evaluating a bunch of things; work projects, art projects, home projects, and the list goes on. I also feel that part of the process is reflecting on ways that I’ve let myself become too comfortable or complacent.
Ahh, the context of reevaluating is a great place for fear to unwind. Acting boldly for me is throwing stuff away. Who knows when I’m going to need that bent nail? 🙂
Glad you stopped in today. Thanks, John.
Fear is a motivator. For me, when I recognize it is there I can confront it. Bigger challenges arise when I don’t recognize it. I’d rather know the train is coming so I can step off the tracks than whistle a happy tune as I’m struck by it.
Of course, there are the other times that I use fear as an excuse not to do something. This is a great reminder that boldness is as simple as doing something small today, where I can. Thanks for sharing it!
Brilliant, Ryan. Step into the fear. We must recognize it before we do it. I wish you continued success.
Wow, I find myself struggling with; inaction, avoidance, self-doubt, withdrawal, negative self-talk, and procrastination. I look at these all as individual issues, but seeing them grouped under the umbrella of fear-based behavior is enlightening. Thanks for the insight!
Scary, isn’t it? 🙂 Thanks for jumping in and sharing a bit of your insight.
Dan, this is a useful post. Love the outline and guardrails. There are lots of gems in today’s post, but this sentence stopped me in my tracks: “Confidence steps into uncertainty prepared to adapt.” Putting the post-it on my wall now.
Be well!
Glad you caught that one, Jenny. I wonder if we think confidence steps into uncertainty with certainty, but that just seems ridiculous to me.