Why it's important to step into fear!

Last week, I stepped massively out of my comfort zone and into the unknown realms of my stretch zone! Being thrown into a situation where I worked with colleagues and students I had not met before, to contribute to the delivery of an intense GCSE revision course, required me to draw on a wealth of skills and strategies. In that challenging situation, I ‘felt the fear and did it anyway’! (Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway - Susan Jeffers).

In one situation, a haughty colleague with a bellowing voice and looming stature, openly challenged my authority in front of the class of students. The dynamics that resulted from the interaction of the BIG PERSONALITIES of both staff and students, meant that in every single moment, I had to be conscious of my own interaction and how this could impact on the course being a calamitous disaster or wildly successful! I recall reflecting on the skills I deliver on the courses I run, in particular, How to Master Change in Challenging Times.

Despite feeling anxious and uncertain of the approach to take in the shifting dynamics, what I knew for sure, was that I had to FEEL THE FEAR and STEP BEYOND this. I was reminded of Susan Jeffers’ FiveTruths as the week progressed:

FEAR TRUTH 1: THE FEAR WILL NEVER GO AWAY AS LONG AS YOU CONTINUE TO GROW.

FEAR TRUTH 2: THE ONLY WAY TO GET RID OF THE FEAR IS TO GO OUT… AND DO IT.

FEAR TRUTH 3: THE ONLY WAY TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF IS TO GO OUT… AND DO IT.

FEAR TRUTH 4: NOT ONLY ARE YOU GOING TO EXPERIENCE FEAR WHENEVER YOU ARE ON UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY, BUT SO IS EVERYONE ELSE!

FEAR TRUTH 5: PUSHING THROUGH FEAR IS LESS FRIGHTENING THAN LIVING WITH THE UNDERLYING FEAR THAT COMES FROM A FEELING OF HELPLESSNESS.

Throughout the 5 days, I had to take action to push through my fear.

Definition of Action:

                 [ak-shuh n] noun

                1. The process or state of acting or of being active.

                2. Something done.

                3. An act that one consciously wills and that may be characterized by physical or mental activity: a crisis that demands action instead of debate.

                4. An exertion of power or force.

                 Synonyms for Action:

                Activity, alertness, ballgame, big idea, energy, force, functioning, game, going, happening, liveliness, motion, movement, operation, plan, power, process, proposition, response, spirit, vigour, vitality.

In stepping into the ‘stretch zone’ of my experience, I had to bring into effect many of the synonyms raised above, in order to bring calm to what started out as a chaotic situation on Day 1. I had no choice but to reaffirm and claim my personal power. The objective was to ensure that the results of the project were achieved. This was to support the young people to feel confidently equipped and motivated to do what is necessary to move up a grade in their GCSE exams.

In my transition out of the comfort zone, I re-affirmed the following learning points:

 1.     Taking yourself out of you normal environment into one that is unfamiliar and unusual to your daily routine, can help to develop and sharpen your skills.

2.       Being in a position that you cannot easily walk away from leaves no other choice but to face it.

3.       In pushing through fear, feelings of uncertainty and anxiety lose their power.

4.       You realise that ‘actually I can’, which gives greater confidence in the belief and ability to manage any other challenging situation!

 In the words of Susan Jeffers:

 “As you look at the truths about fear, particularly Truth 4, you see that FEAR IS NOT THE PROBLEM. If fear were the problem, nobody would be moving forward with their lives. No, fear is not the problem; it is how we hold that fear. Do we hold it from a position of pain, paralysis and depression (the position of the Lower Self) or a position of power, action and love (the position of the Higher Self)? Obviously, our task is very clear. It is to move ourselves from a position of pain about fear to one of power.”

With Personal Life Coaching, you will learn how to give yourself authority to step into your personal power to confront fear, doubt and anxiety head on, rather than to step back and remain in the comfort zone that limits an ability to grow and flourish.

Click the link to buy Susan Jeffers’ related book ‘Feel the Fear… and Beyond’, availaible on our website at the discounted price of £6.50.

(c) Rebecca Gordon - April 2013