Which comes first – being confident, being brave, or being scared? Yup, being scared. We’ve all felt scared about some things. You may be feeling it today.
Fear of failure shows you care about doing something well. It’s normal. It’s what you do with that fear that counts. Does it block your thinking, keep you from experimenting, stop you from trying something or doing your best with what you know now? Or does fear of failure push you to try something new, to reach out, to seek input? The latter stretches the boundary of your comfort zone.
It takes bravery to step out of your comfort zone. Bravery can be sudden or planned. It’s doing something beyond your norm, despite fear. Sometimes bravery comes with an adrenalin rush that overcomes the fear in an instant. More often, bravery is facing a dilemma and choosing to mentally square your shoulders with determination and figure out how to move through it. You’ve probably heard the saying, Feel the fear and do it anyway.
By battling fear with bravery, you develop confidence. Confidence is an awareness that comes from the experience of having tried and conquered. Or, tried and failed and learned from it. Confidence is an inner knowing that provides a clear gauge of what’s possible now. It comes with belief in yourself that you can do this – on your own or with others.
Fear. Bravery. Confidence. You practice this sequence more often than you realize. Make a point of it this week.
