The Monster: Stories are wild animals… if you let them loose, who knows what havoc they may wreak. Conor: Your stories never made sense to me. The Monster: Because humans are complicated beasts. You believe comforting lies, while knowing full well the painful truth that makes those lies necessary. In the end, Conor, it is not important what you think. It is only important what you do. Conor: So what do I do? The Monster: What you did just now. You speak the truth. Conor: That’s all? The Monster: You think it’s easy? You were willing to die rather than speak it. –A Monster Calls, 2016.
Fear is real, but optional.
You can either take a leap of faith (start your own business, get a sabbatical year travelling around the world…) or stay put paralized by fear.
After all, fear is the save way to do nothing at all.
Fear lives in the future, in the not-yet seen. Faith implies to be comfortable in the unknown.
What to do when you feel fear?
Every time I travel to a country that I’ve never been before, even if excited, I’m afraid of the disavantages I will come across. Living in another country implies the effort to make new friends, to learn a new language, to be by yourself in case something bad happens…so sometimes fear starts to appear.
If fear appears and wants to sabotage your dream or decision, you can rely on these steps since they can help you to take a leap of faith and jump into the unknown.
The first step is to accept your fear.
Don’t pretend you don’t feel it. Repression always gather the poison within.
Then, find out why you are afraid of.
Break it down. Name the things that stop you to make the decision like the way I did above.
You can look at it the other way around.
What if I don’t travel to X? What if I stop traveling?
And finally be present and let your creativity and curiosity make your decisions.
To fear or not to fear, that’s the question.