Do it scared – Rory Valden

Some things will always be scary. Some of the most important conversations you’ll ever have will be uncomfortable. There’s no way around that. But this can be empowering too. If you know talking to your boss about a raise will always be scary…why wait? You’ll be scared if you do it today, and scared if you do it tomorrow. So do it today. Once you realize that it’s okay to do things before you feel ready you unlock the incredible power of “Do it Scared.”

What you fear is what you most need to do – Tim Ferriss

Why do we fear some tasks more than others? We fear confronting our SO’s because it could trigger a breakup. We fear sharing our work because of criticism from others. We fear trying new things because we don’t know how it will turn out. Essentially, we’re afraid that the expectations of our relationship, projects, or capabilities will be proven wrong. But this reconciliation with reality is better now than later. The things we fear are where we most need to try and test and find the truth. The good news is, the cost of failure is lower than you think.

There is no greater illusion than fear – Tao Te Ching

I love this quote because it reminds me how unhelpful fear is. Usually we’re fearing things that haven’t happened yet, but how many times have you had a lot of anxiety or worry over something that ended up going completely fine? It’s impossible to predict the future. We don’t know what will happen. Fear is a mirage of chains holding you back, it’s time to break free. What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears – Nelson Mandela

What choices have you made out of fear? Risks you didn’t take, friendships that could have grown if we had opened up, experiences that could have grown us. On the other hand, hope can take you outside your comfort zone (which in turn makes your comfort zone larger). This quote reminds me to question choices I’m making out of fear. You don’t have to continue habits your fears created.

Put aside this great mass of suffering -James Allen

People don’t like to hear this, but most of our suffering is self inflicted. Replaying angry or envious or insecure thoughts about the past. Maintaining relationships with people who poison us. Staying in a painful situation because we’re scared of the unknown. This quote reminds me that fear doesn’t have to trap me with that suffering. How much regret do you want in your life?