Nomad 365 Club: FEAR
Confrontation & Breakthrough
"Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
From the time I was a teenager, I would say that my greatest fear was failure. At the time, I thought admitting this was some form of self-awareness that brought a minuscule level of power back to myself. A reflection in the same vein as when you're asked on a job interview, "What's your biggest challenge or flaw?" and respond with "I'm too dedicated to my work." It sounds good, but are you being completely honest? And even if it is honest, is that actually a good thing?
I was obsessed with not being viewed as average. I even named my entertainment company Beyond Average Entertainment—a sort of self-prophecy. In retrospect, I know I questioned my value and believed that cheers, approval, and accomplishments would prove that I matter. If I don't fail, then I know I did well. But fear of failure is debilitating. When you fear failure, you play it safe so that you don't lose. Even more dangerously, you may not make an attempt at all. There were many shots I didn't take.
I know there was a spicy fear of rejection mixed in the frightful gumbo in my mind, which I still taste often enough to never forget it. I'll admit that I still carry a level of fear of rejection, or of looking foolish, like Beyoncé keeps hot sauce in her bag.
With age and countless experiences of shortcomings, I've accepted that fear is an inevitable part of life's process.
If you're not failing at least once a month at something, you're not trying hard enough. Some would encourage you to fail at something daily, and embrace the healthy process of failure as a lifestyle. I practice this in my gym workouts. During strength training, I lift until failure. That's how I know when I've pushed myself as far as I can go. And this knowledge gives me a new mark of my true strength and what benchmark to surpass next.
What do you fear most? Is it loneliness? Fear of the unknown? Irrelevance? Not being in control? Pain? Death?
Last month we addressed the baggage we've been carrying that's holding us down. And with that burden laid down and both hands free, you're ready to take your biggest challenge head on. The things you fear most.
““When I dare to be powerful—to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.””
If you've been living in fear, whether big fears or little fears—it's time to take our attention away from fear and move forward anyway. You are not alone. I am with you. This community is with you. And more importantly, God is with you. Fear may have packed itself in a bag on this journey with you, but what we're not going to do is place it in the driver's seat. You control where you're headed next.
One thing I've learned is that when you look fear in the eyes, it tends to be the first one to cower and look away in shame. You're more powerful than you realize, and this month we'll prove just that.
Deuteronomy 31:6:
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
The mistake we tend to make is believing that fear is something we have to completely rid ourselves of in order to overcome it. This isn't true in the slightest. It's about doing the thing even while fear is there in the room watching you do it. And the more action you take while fear is present, the smaller fear becomes in that room. Eventually, you won't even notice fear is present at all.