Feel the fear...

One of my favorite quotes is: "Feel the fear and do it anyway." In fact, Susan Jeffers wrote a book by that name (perhaps that's where I got the quote?).

As you know, I have been in the process of working toward landing a job in my field for about a year now. It has been an exciting year - running away and joining the circus, taking the Calamari Sisters on a mini-tour, and two trips to California for 3 job interviews. I have had at least 15 or more phone interviews, and several in-person interviews from Holyoke, MA to San Francisco and Los Angeles. I have probably sent out over 200 resumes in the last year.

I have had a few friends remark how impressed they are at the initiative they see me take - sending out the resumes, going on the interviews, constantly trying to refine what I am doing to make myself more effective and attractive to potential employers. In the meantime, doing what I need to do to be ready to move forward and keep the bills paid in the meantime.

During the course of the past year, I have learned a few things - one, fear freezes people. When you let yourself get too caught up in your head, wondering about what will/won't/might happen, you don't take action. When you are afraid it might be a repeat of a past experience, you don't take action (very common with romantic relationships, I have found). However, I have also found (thanks to T. Harv Eker for the quote), that FEAR DOESN'T EXIST IN THE PRESENT MOMENT. When you are present where you are, you take action, and you cannot indulge the fear - because you are present.

I've also discovered that it is only when you REALLY want something, that you finally take the action to get it. We all say "I want to lose weight," "own my own business," "write a book," "have better relationships," etc. - but nothing changes because we don't take action - and most of the time we don't take action because we are afraid.

The secret isn't so difficult - feel the fear and do it anyway. Am I afraid I won't be able to pay my bills this month? Yes. Am I afraid I spent a ton of money I really don't have to go to California for these interviews and I won't get the job? Yes. Am I afraid I might actually get the job? Hell yes! What am I doing? Feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

Remember - NOTHING WILL CHANGE AS LONG AS YOU ARE FEELING COMFORTABLE. Change happens on the edge of the comfort zone, when you just don't know what can/might/will happen.

You have to let go of where you are in order to become what you want. In other words, you have to get out of the chair you are sitting in if you want to dance with your partner.

Yes, I really did say that I am terrified I might get what I want - I think that holds more people back than anything else - because if you get what you want, then what? No more excuses - you HAVE to move to the next level! And yes, that can be wicked scary.

But you know what? Feel the fear and do it anyway - and everything becomes possible.