Do you sometimes sit things out due to fear of failure or what people will think? Do you struggle with taking action and learning the messy way? What would happen if we just took the chance on ourselves? If we actually believed we could do it? Against all odds, we would figure out a way to make it happen for ourselves!
If we realized that failure is just pointing us in a different direction. Maybe we touch someone’s heart with our craft, maybe we connect, maybe we top the charts, maybe we realize it isn’t that scary, maybe we learn to trust ourselves even more or maybe that one thing changes your life, but we’ll never know if we never try, will we?!
I came to the realization that there is a super-power inside of fear. It teaches us what we need to work on. I also realized that overthinking is a part of fear. We make a big deal out of things that are rather simple. Why? Well, we are our own worst enemies. We make excuses for ourselves.
This year, I’ve really pushed myself to do things that take me out of my comfort zone. Starting a Podcast was one of those things! I’ve learned how to look fear in the face. In this episode I’m going to be sharing with you 3 steps I’ve taken to be able to do that. I also share with you two recent examples of things I did using my 3 steps. These steps have helped me grow and become more action based instead of action less. Let’s dive in!
Although I’ve been trying to be more bold this year - do things that scare me and do it messy, there are still a few things that I haven’t pushed myself to do. What better time to do it then right before a year ends?! Truth is, we are all guilty of some form of perfectionism. Writers rip pages from their journals, songwriters scribble all over their lyrics, businesses re-calculate, chefs throw their recipes in the trash, podcasters re-record, it’s a never ending cycle. So I got to thinking, why must we be so perfect? Isn’t there beauty in the in-perfection? There’s growth in the messiness, right?
I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. I found this piece of writing in my notes App from just a few months ago - Aug 7, 2020. It reads “She thought “I might actually do it, but in an instant she pulled back. She’s scared of being judged. But you know what scares her more? Looking back in a few years, knowing she could’ve done something. She could’ve been somebody but she chose not to. Why? Well, fear. It always came down to that.”
That piece of writing continues to be as relevant as the day I wrote it. It inspired me to talk about it on this episode.
“Wrote this back in August when i was thinking about launching @thejourneyofpursuit and was very scared about what people would think but pushed myself to do it anyway. Same way that I had to push myself to release music.
Somehow the idea of never knowing what could’ve happened, had I actually released it, seemed more of a failure than never doing it and never giving it a shot.
Wanted to share because even tho both my music and my podcast are out, I still struggle with this idea at times and it’s a daily reminder to believe in yourself and just do what you feel called to do. One step at a time.
We all want to do something: release that song, start that podcast, move to that city, say I love you, whatever it may be - but we pull back out of fear of judgment or failure.
But what would happen if we just took the chance on ourselves? If we actually believed we could do it. Against all odds, we would figure out a way to make it happen for ourselves?! We would be in our own corner. Be our own cheerleader.
If we realized that failure is just pointing us in a different direction. Maybe we touch someone’s heart with our craft, maybe we connect, maybe we top the charts, maybe we realize it isn’t that scary, maybe we learn to trust ourselves even more or maybe that one thing changes your life!! but we’ll never know if we never try, will we?!”
I realized that there is a super-power inside of fear. It teaches us what we need to work on. I also realized that overthinking is a part of fear. We make a big deal out of things that are rather simple. Why? Well, we are our own worst enemies. We make excuses for ourselves. But the truth is that no one is paying that much attention to us anyway. Everyone has their own problems and insecurities. So the great thing is that when we realize this, when we can relate to people like this, we get to choose to think differently and to give ourselves more freedom to just be and just create.
I got on my stories and decided to take my own advice. I asked people to send me cover song requests to do on a live?! I’ve always been afraid of doing cover songs, I honestly don’t think I’m good enough at guitar to learn the songs and sing along. BUT I chose to look fear in the face. Just do it, I told myself. Not many people showed up, but the ones that did made it count, and that was all I needed.
Just yesterday, I did it again, I went on my stories and talked about my newsletter I’ve been wanting to start a newsletter for a very long time. It was actually one of my goals for this year. Originally for my music and as the year went by it progressed into an idea to connect with you guys even more. A place to share all the different parts of me - music, writing, podcasting, fashion, quotes and inspiration, lessons and achievements, and so much more. If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know this kind of medium isn’t entirely new to me. I used to have a blog called GigMeStyle where I shared outfits, and fashion Inspo for musicians to wear to gigs! I loved it and I would send newsletters every week! But out of fear, I shut it down. “I should stick to making music”, I thought. So , this is my new attempt at starting it back up! Instead of just fashion, it’ll be a home for all my creations. Most importantly, it’ll be a home for us!
Anyway, my 20 seconds of courage on insta stories yesterday paid off. I was able to add 5 more people to my list. Although 5 might not seem like a big number, it’s slowly but surely building a community to bond with. that I see as the bigger accomplishment. Highlighting the small steps to get you one step further. If you’re interested in being a part of my newsletter send me a DM @drealopz or follow the link in the show notes. I can’t wait to have you be a part of it :)
So have you guessed what the 3 action steps to look fear in the face are? Let’s take a look
20 Seconds of Courage: Putting fear aside for just 20 seconds and choosing to see it with courage instead. What if you could be brave for just 20 seconds. Would you do it? Would you look fear in the face and get to the other side? Fear takes over, therefore, it’s important to look at fear with courage and decide that courage is more powerful than fear. Courage lets you take action. Courage is your friend.
One Step At a Time: Sometimes when we think of the whole picture, we pull back. “It’s too far away” “I’ll never be able to do that” etc. We often get overwhelmed by how much we have to do and how little time we have to do it. Understanding that taking small steps can actually be more productive than doing everything with an overwhelmed mindset, is very important. So just focus on that one small step.
Check In: Think of the version of you that accomplishes that small task. How does that version feel? Accomplished? Empowered? Excited? When you finally get around to taking action on that thing you were so scared to do, do you feel good? Or do you feel bad? Chances are you feel great and accomplished! The overthinking makes it scarier than it really is! So focus on feeling. Next time you’re too lazy to get that thing done, think about how you’ll feel once it’s done with.
So now I challenge you, what are your 20 seconds of courage? What small action can you take that will help you realize that it’s not the scary? What will you do this week that will take you to the next level? OR what’s the good feeling you can focus on?
I’d love to be a part of that journey with you - share it with me and tag me @drealopz or @thejourneyofpursuit and I’ll share it with my community!
Thank you so much for being here with me, as always, I am so grateful to have you all here as part of my community. If you feel like you learned something in today’s episode, share it with a friend or leave us a rating and review! And if you’re stuck on something or want to dive in deeper send me a DM @drealopz to set up a 1:1 call! I love talking to you guys!