Today we are going to talk about fear.
And when I say FEAR, I am not going to use clichés like
“Fear is only in your mind”
“You just need to face your fears”
or “Fear is nothing more than a state of mind”
FEAR IS REAL
It is what clutches and tightens your chest
It is what sinks the temperature in your gut
It is what steadily drains your energy
It is what holds your creativity hostage
FEAR IS AS REAL as any tangible item you can touch
And it’s power and impact is overwhelming.
Don’t listen to others who tell you that there is nothing to be afraid of.
You and I both know there is a lot to be afraid of.
We ended what was the most painful year that most of us have ever experienced and even though we are in 2021, most of what we are all experiencing is still remaining the same.
And for business owners who listen to this show – look at how our businesses have been impacted
Consider how much we had to pivot and change
Look ahead at how much more work we have in front of us.
I’m going to level with you…
2021 is not going to be an easy year. It is going to be a difficult, grueling and intense battle.
And I am here telling you that I am honestly terrified.
I personally have lost to fear more times than I care to remember.
- I lost to fear when I was an athlete in high school and that is why I walked away from sports.
- I lost to fear as a student and that is why I turned down dozens of offers to attend universities across the country
- I lost to fear as a human being in moments where I refused to stand up for myself.
But is what I realized in my meditation and journaling over the last few days.
All the times I lost to fear had NOTHING TO DO with things not working.
I will say that again because it is a critically important point I want you all to grasp.
FAILURE is not what happens when things don’t work out.
All the times I lost or I failed, it was not because what I was trying to achieve did not work.
- The business launches that did not reach profit
- The try outs that I did not win
- The bids that I never received
None of those, the things I thought I was afraid of, were actually failures. Because each time I simply adjusted, improved or revised and moved on.
SO WHAT IS FAILURE?
The only true failure is to lose to fear.
Now stay with me because I’m about to shift your perception.
THE ONLY WAY TO LOSE TO FEAR IS TO ALLOW FEAR TO WIN
That’s right Fear can ONLY WIN as a result of our own choice to forfeit.
We have to choose to quit, we have to choose to hide, we have to choose to run in order for fear to win.
That means, any action in the other direction, any movement towards your goals, any step forward DOES NOT ERASE fear – but it does guarantee that you will not lose to fear.
This means you can beat fear EVERY SINGLE TIME WITH ACTION
But I am here to say that the fear never goes away.
When we speak about courage – it is about what you do in spite of fear.
James Patrick
IG @JPatrickPhoto
JamesPatrick.com
