Now… the other part to this crazy freak-out-speed-up thing is something really interesting that Catherine Caine (of Cash and Joy bad-assery… Wait..you don’t know her??? Have you been under a rock somewhere dude???) mentioned in one of our calls….. She made a comment about how, in order to get shit going and get it done, she (wait for it…. waaaiiiiitttt for iiiiiiittttt……) “Moves Faster Than The Fear”.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I know, right??? I’m telling you, she’s brilliant, that one…)
So, yeah.
So now I’m thinking about: “how can I use this crazy freak-out-speed-up thing to my advantage…. how can I Move Faster Than The Fear???”
I can:
- Make a final decision about which domain name will be the new place for me to be… I purchased two that I loved (the third was taken, dammit) and have been going back and forth with them ever since.
- Finalize the profile of my ideal dudette with whom I’d really love to work.
- Get serious about the creation of the new site.
- Flesh out the program that’s popped into my head & start putting it together so that it’s ready when I am.
- Set a date for all of the above and haul some ass rather than flaking out with it all.
Interesting.
How do you feel about this whole ‘Move Faster Than The Fear’ idea… and how would you do it for yourself???
Twitter: YourLifeInGear
says:
I’m not a fan of the idea of moving faster than the fear. I won’t go so far as to say that the idea is “wrong”. I just don’t like it for me. I’ll do my best to articulate why.
1) It leaves me with the feeling that I am being driven by fear. If I have to outrun fear, then fear is setting my pace. Fear is, at least partially, in control of what I do, when I do it and the pace at which I move. I’ve spent a lot of time in that space and I don’t like it. It’s not fun and is exhausting.
2) If I have to outrun/outpace fear, I can’t enjoy the journey. And, many times, the journey is as much fun (if not more) than arriving at the destination. I like moving at a pace that allows me to notice what’s going on. How am I feeling? Exhilarated? Content? Nervous? All of the above? What the scenery look, feel and smell like? What am I learning about myself in the process? What did I know how to do that I didn’t know I knew how to do? What was difficult for me that I thought would actually be easy? What was easy for me that I thought would actually be difficult?
3) I sends the message that fear is a bad thing. It must be. Otherwise, why would I feel the need to outrun it? Fear, like any emotion, just is. It happens. It’s part of the natural cycle. I found that if I set with it, let it be, talk to it, pay attention to it, etc., I can learn from it. I can learn more about old issues that I thought I had addressed. I might learn that I *should* be afraid. Perhaps my subconscious is trying to tell me that I am missing some key detail that I need to address in order to succeed. It allows me to share myself with loved ones in a vulnerable way. They get to see that sometimes I need support and encouragement and love. And, better yet, they get an opportunity to give those things to me. People love doing those things for their loved ones.
I’m more partial to Barbara Sher’s 3 Phases of Resistance approach. The three phase are:
1. The high: You’re a genius. You are totally in love with your idea. You can see everything so clearly, it’s almost like you have magic powers. There is no way you could fail! (During this phase, Barbara encourages you to write down everything you are thinking. Be detailed. Make it a narrative, not a bullet list. Include things like what you were doing when the idea struck, what did you see, hear, smell, taste at that moment. This will come in handy in the 3rd phase.)
2. The crash: You’re an idiot. It can’t be done. If it could be, someone else would have done it. Hell, someone else already has done it. And, they’ve done it better than you ever could have. You’ll just fail. You’ll never finish. You’ll just waste a lot of time, money and energy on a bad idea. (During this phase, I like to write down all of my fears and the things that I am just sure will happen. Our fear isn’t always wrong. Sometimes it points out holes in our strategy that we need to fill. Barbara encourages folks to just “go with” this phase. She says it’s Nature’s way of helping you regain and restore your energy. You burned a lot in Phase 1 and will need more in Phase 3. It’s also Nature’s way of slowing you down so you can get some stuff done.) Some fear they will get stuck in this phase. But, in my experience, if you go with it and don’t fight it, it passes.
3. The leveling off: Maybe you weren’t so crazy after all. And, it probably wouldn’t hurt to go ahead and do some research or reserve that domain name or outline that workshop, teleclass, book, etc. This is the phase where you can actually get stuff done. Take out the document you wrote in Phase 1 and start making concrete plans to do things. Start doing. (I like the break the “things” into tiny little pieces. They are more manageable, give me lots of opportunities to make progress/succeed and keep me under the radar of any lurking fear that may still be hanging around. One example: If you need to call someone, one piece/step would be looking up their phone number & writing it down.)
Those are my thoughts.
Hugs!!!
Twitter: AngelNSullivan
says:
Kellie! I love that you put all of this out there (& that you shared the magnificent Barbara Sher’s 3 Phases of Resistance!). Thanks for putting your thoughts & feelings into the conversation… You know (I think? I hope?!?!) that I appreciate your thoughts & that you always jump into the conversation… LOVE that!
When I think of ‘moving faster than the fear’, it’s for getting from ‘A’ to ‘B’ in something that I’ve already decided that I want and/or need to do & am just procrastinating on. I hate when my ‘inner chicken-shit’ makes an appearance just because it can & because that’s been my habit. For me, at least, moving faster than the fear is what I need to light a fire & get stuff done. Otherwise, I tend to procrastinate and go back and forth internally ad nauseam.
There’s too much riding on making meaningful progress within an acceptable timeline for me right now & I can’t allow the back and forth to go on (and on, and on!). There’s a time & a place for the conversations & the reading into the fear, etc…. There’s also a time to just say ‘screw it’ and get the show on the road… Right now, for me, it’s the latter.
Time for action
Thanks again for stopping by!!
Twitter: YourLifeInGear
says:
Angel,
I’m so glad you enjoyed reading through what I shared. And, yes. I absolutely know that you appreciate my thoughts and my jumping in. It’s one of my (many, many) favorite things about you.
I’m a firm believer that One Size Does NOT Fit All, especially when it comes with our emotions and how we handle them. That’s why I prefaced my response the way I did.
I think it’s great that you opened up a dialog on this topic. It’s even cooler that you have an environment in which we can all share our opinions – even if they differ.
Love and hugs to you!
Twitter: AngelNSullivan
says:
I totally agree with you that one size does NOT fit all…. sing it, sistah
I’m also totally loving that some awesomely cool folks (such as yourself) find that they can come here & share their (differing or similar) views as well…. That totally rocks & I’ve been super-excited about seeing that come from this post.
Great big hugs back, chicky
I’m with Catherine on this one! Fear comes from the primitive, survival driven part of our brain. It’s there for a positive reason, which is why we’re still here as a species. The key for me has been to acknowledge it fully, get what it wants for me and then speed up! Maybe it’s the Aries in me, but I am a bit competitive and like the idea that I can outrun fear
Twitter: AngelNSullivan
says:
Hey Sandi
Yeah, I definitely agree that fear is there for good reason & can respect and appreciate it for that. Just SO over getting stuck in the fear & feeling like I’m mired in a pit of quicksand that I can’t fight my way out of… Ready to MOVE!
Thanks for your comment!
I love Catherine and am a fan of her work but I kinda agree with Kellie on this, you gotta be careful of not confronting the fear or trying to out run it as it will damn well exhaust ya.
My strategy for getting shiz done and doner [um, yes I like to make up words] is to acknowledge the fear [Howdy there fear, trying to screw with me today are ya?] deconstruct it to see whether or not what it’s saying about the given situation is in fact TRUE and then find ways to distract it or shift your focus.
Also be hyper aware that dwelling in that place of fear is a sure fire shovel for that pit of despair.
So I guess Catherine has a point after all in that by ‘moving faster’ you don’t allow the fear to creep up and bite ya on the ass.
I can roll with that.
Twitter: AngelNSullivan
says:
LOL…. love your comments Genna… and so glad you can roll with that way of describing it all (which is also kick-ass).
Cool to see you here, thanks for stopping
I love your writing. I particularly enjoy the frankness and ‘kick -assedness’ of it!! I don’t know about going faster than the fear. I myself, prefer to rise above it. Or go straight on through it. The fear is still there and being above it and/or through it, just shows you your progress and how far you’ve come when you get to the other side. And maybe, after the journey, it’s a learning tool! Good vibes coming your way! <3
Twitter: AngelNSullivan
says:
Hey Brandy, awesome to see you! Thanks for reading, and for commenting
Yeah, I’m really loving all these different analogies that folks are contributing.. seems like this whole fear thing is abig thing for all of us… I’m thinking there may be more on that soon
Thanks again for stopping by!!