“Fear Can Stop You, or Propel You…..the CHOICE is Yours!” ~Kris Barney
Do you recognize your fear? Are you even aware of how it is showing up for you? Is your fear stopping you?
Fear shows up differently for everyone. If you can believe it, Majority of the time your fear is emotionally based, and you can benefit greatly by knowing how your fear shows up for you and how things trigger you.
If there was EVER a time to allow FEAR into our lives, it would be now. We have an election going on, we have
extreme devastation from storms, hurricanes and tornadoes. Yet, what I can tell you is that if you allow fear into your mind and heart, it is only making your situation worse. We have had a ton of uncertainty and concern going on now for several years, but allowing Fear to control you will not improve your success, it will only hold you back.
There is an Acronym that Zig Ziglar came up with many years ago. F.E.A.R. I love how he put this idea together, as it is so true. This acronym of F.E.A.R. has two very different meanings:
Forget Everything and Run or Face Everything and Rise
If you are living in your FEAR and it is taking over everything in your life, you are in the Forget Everything and Run mode. So many people have allowed fear to shut them down and stop them from progressing into the success that they wish they had. This will keep you afraid. It will cause you to be depressed. It will overtake your attitude, cause you stress and chaos. It will give you
Anxiety. It causes additional health issues creating you to be MORE susceptible to catching sickness, more vulnerable to other illnesses and health break down. It wears down your systems, raises your blood pressure, clouds your thoughts, and overtakes your energy. This will cause you to feel tired and worn out even when you have not exerted yourself.
If you are living in your FEAR and you are seeing the good that is happening out in our world of chaos, you are in the Face Everything and Rise. There is a TON of GOOD going on in our world right now! You have Service being done on Every Level. We have neighbors checking on neighbors they have never met before. Yes, we have added concerns and a lot of things being done differently. We have different ways to do school, for those who have children in school. We have the ability for many to work from home and others going into the office with a lot of changes. But…You will see what you are focused on. You will see the good or the bad. It really is up to you!
Is it easy to be positive during times of concern? NO! But it is a choice. We are responsible for our choices and our actions. We can be all that we can BE right now and YES, it can be TOUGH! Really Tough! But you will be healthier, happier and more productive to choose to Face Everything and Rise!
- How are you allowing fear to stop you?
- Why is fear slowing you down from the progress you want?
- Could you be more powerful if you were to face your fear?
- What is fear stopping you from achieving?
Our world has created a way for us to feel that we must fit in and do things a certain way and to look for outside approval, when in reality we get to look within ourselves to strive to be our very best. We get to allow ourselves the opportunity to shine, be heard, accomplish and thrive!
We get to stop holding ourselves back and living in comparison. We get to forge forward in a huge way, embracing our own unique gifts and talents and owning our truth. Even when the whole world is feeling difficulties. The people that you and I are seeing are making the difference as thought leaders, as serving in whatever capacity they can. Right now, it is needed more than ever for you to step into this and choose for yourself.
“Your Success Begins when Your Fear Ends.” ~ Kris Barney. This statement is true. Think about it, when were you faced with fear recently? What did you do? Did you find a way to push through that fear and do what you needed to anyway or did you allow that fear to stop you and keep you held back? Have you pushed through your fear and started taking steps toward a new goal or that huge idea? Have you been diagnosed with a new illness and had to drop everything and find the courage to gain
your health and strength back and win the battle of your life? Have you had a loved one that is fighting for their life or have you had a loved one lose their life and you are in the depths of grief and in the most painful moments of your life?
Fear was given to us to avoid danger, to sense something that could be bad or to use as a source for protecting us from getting hurt. The actual definition is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat, and to be afraid of someone or something as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening. Everything about FEAR and what this definition is telling us…we should AVOID it! Well, of course we should evaluate where the fear is coming from and then choose how to handle it…. Do you let it STOP you or Propel you? You could choose to be the good in this world and create hope, show love, support and serve as well as be strong for those who are also going through fear and devastation.
Fear can look like many things, such as:
- Scared
- Depressed
- Self-conscious
- Insecurity
- Unqualified
- Lack of Knowledge
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Danger
- Judgment
- Acceptance
- Not Belonging
- What others might think
- Lack Believing in Self
Yes, fear was given to us to avoid danger, yet many of us are allowing it to stop us from our full potential.
“Fear Can Stop You or Propel You…the Choice is Yours.” ~ Kris Barney
Let me ask you this? “Are your reasons for not taking action, just excuses to disguise your fear?”
What is your fear doing for you? Is it stopping you from moving forward in a big way? Is it keeping you from taking that next big step in your life? Would you be more successful if you were to push through that fear that is holding you back and just go for it?
There are many things that can come from facing your fear, but I want to focus on 3 Benefits of Facing Your Fears:
- Builds Courageous Confidence
- Creates Accomplishment Mentality
- Conquers Limitations
One of the greatest discoveries you can do for yourself is to push through the fear and feel the power to do anything! I have known for many years that pushing through fear in a powerful way can give you the courage and confidence to move forward. I have known that it allows you to feel your own power and to acknowledge that you are capable. Some of the biggest things that I have done over the years to overcome fear and to empower myself have been these:
- Parasailing at Lake Powell
- High Level Ropes Course
- One of the highest Zip Lines in Mexico
- Fire Walk with Tony Robbins
- Skydiving with my Husband in MOAB
These have all been Amazing! They have all given me tremendous growth and belief in myself as well as courageous confidence. But a lot of the other things in my life that were difficult and even very scary have also given me those same feelings as I trusted the process and my journey and went for it full force! Some of those have been:
- Starting my own business
- Real Estate and Business Investing
- My son having cancer
- Adoption of my daughter
- Suicide of my twin brother
- Overcoming Depression
- Personal Health Issues
- Writing two Books
- Raising Children
- Empowering Others
- Creating my own Events
- Loss of Loved ones
- Teaching others
- Writing Programs
- Creating Courses
- PUBLIC SPEAKING
This list could go on and on. There are literally thousands of things that I could put on here, ranging from getting married, going to school, finding friends, to what I do all the time that is listed as the #1 Fear of people, even more than death, and that is public speaking.
My questions for you are these:
My questions for you are these:
- What are you in fear of right now?
- What are you avoiding or unwilling to do?
- What are you missing out on?
- Could you be stepping up in a different way right now?
- Could you be supporting someone who has it worse than you do?
- How could you benefit in your life if you were to embrace it rather than push it away?
Our Perception can get in the way of how we see things. We place value on ideas and our thoughts. Some of those times it can be negative things that we allow to become fears or issues that scare us! Let me tell you about an experience I had a few years ago.
I had a two-day event in New Jersey. This event was to up-level my public speaking career and I would be working on my “performance”. This means that I would be on stage in front of about 70 strangers while being “coached” by a few experts on performance, speech, voice, movement, content, use of stage, and many other things. For most of you, this is enough to send off every bell and whistle for fear to show up! But, let me add to this some of the fears that began to show up for me.
Hurricane Dorian was in full force. I would literally be FLYING into an airport that was experiencing all kinds of weather due to the Hurricane. This was in the path that it was currently taking. Yes, I tried for 5 hours to change my flight, reschedule, and have new dates for the conference and get out of going at this particular time. After hours of phone calls and stress, it would cost me more to cancel than to attend and according to the airports, it was all good!
The other stressful piece that I was running through my head was that the only way I could make this all happen and return for another important speaking event was to fly out of New York from the JFK Airport, which meant I would be driving into New York during rush hour!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING???
At this point, before I had even left on this trip, I was in more FEAR than what I had experienced Skydiving!!
Think about that for a minute….I would rather jump out of an airplane than go on this trip at this point! I had allowed the fear to set in. I was creating it to be HUGE in my mind and it was taking over all my emotions!
This is exactly what we do. We allow fear to set in and STOP us from moving forward! What I can tell you is that you have the ability to control this.
I flew out of SLC airport at 6:00 am. I landed at my location that afternoon, and yes in fact Hurricane Dorian was past my location and there were limited weather issues. I survived and thrived at my two-day conference, and I did not die while being on stage! AND most importantly, I DROVE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC FOR
THREE HOURS to get into New York and into JFK Airport and made my flight! I did it!! (What does not kill us makes us stronger, right?)
Were there scary issues? Of course! Was there bumper to bumper traffic? Yes! Did I survive? YES! AND not only that, but I gained all kinds of courageous confidence as I pushed through the fear. I created an accomplishment mentality that soared within me and gives me confidence and reassurance for the next time I travel. It allowed me to conquer limitations that hold me back and freed me from my own thoughts and feelings of fear.
Face your fears. Stop allowing them to control your results. Even if it is something that you have never experienced before. Yes, we have a horrific situation before us, but it can make all the difference in the world by how you choose to handle it. It is time to go for it! Even in a world that is facing a huge pandemic. Embrace this opportunity to do it differently. Face Everything and Rise! As you do, you will raise everyone around you!
Gain the benefits that are out there by facing your fear. Gain these 3 Benefits to Facing Your Fears:
- Builds Courageous Confidence
- Creates Accomplishment Mentality
- Conquers Limitations
Gain it today….do not delay. You are the only thing standing in your own way. May you be safe and healthy. May you find joy in the moments and love in your heart. May you Identify and Eliminate Your Fear!