“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Looking for inspiration for this week’s blog I was reading some of Wayne Dyer’s comments on fear and discovered the above quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.
How many times have you had the opportunity to face your fear and do it anyway?
My first memory of facing fear was when I was a young child. My brother was trying to blackmail me into doing something I did not want to do. He was going to tell Mom something I didn’t want her to know if I refused to do what he wanted. It was an early attempt at a power struggle. I can’t remember the details of the situation yet I clearly remember the feeling. I knew in my young mind that if I gave in I would have to do something I didn’t like (it was probably one of his chores) and he would be able to continue to threaten me so I would do future chores. It was one of the best lessons to learn. I decided to face my fear and tell him that he could tell Mom. As a young girl, I had an opportunity to change my life in ways I never knew at the time. It turned out that I called his bluff because he didn’t tell Mom but the feeling of facing my fear was amazing. I have since faced my fear a number of times which is so empowering every time I do it. Each time I get to “do it anyway” I gain more confidence. What a beautiful gift (Thanks Don).