12 ways to Deal with Fear and Live Your Dreams : Liz Jansen

Dreams are alive from the minute you’re born. Fear is there too, often influencing you to store your dreams for a “better” time. Time passes and those dreams try to break through and become reality, often repeatedly.

You know there is so much more you can do to experience meaning and passion in life, yet how do you do it?

The answers lie in a holistic approach that sets you up for success and then guides you to taking action. All you ever need to take is one step.

12 ways to Deal with Fear and Live Your Dreams

Meditate daily. I start every morning with quiet time in my sacred space. It gets me grounded, centered and charges the battery for the day.

Take in positive energy. That involves choices in the people who are in your life, the books you read, the music you listen to and the movies you watch. A positive environment is inhospitable for fear, starving it of the nutrients it needs to take root. When I get in situations where negative energy is coming at me, I visualize a shield of grace surrounding me, the negative energy pinging off it and not getting through.

Tend to your physical body. When I’m not feeling well, everything seems gloomy, futile and exhausting- and susceptible to fear. Exercise, rest and proper nutrition do more than feed your body. They keep you healthy and strengthen your resistance to fear.

Play. Fear and laughter can’t co-exist. Going out with friends, having fun and adventures feed your spirit.

Make a realistic plan. It’s great to be energized and motivated but at some point, the rubber has to hit the road. If I let things swirl around in my head, it becomes overwhelming and seems like an uphill climb. When I focus on my vision, write my action steps out on paper, and give myself realistic timelines, all of a sudden it becomes doable.

Put fear in its place. Fear can present as procrastination, jealousy, anger, resentment or anxiety. Feeling any of those emotions when you know you’re not in imminent danger alerts you that you’re going through a growth spurt. Change is underway and feeling threatened and scared, your ego is trying its best to stop that from happening. Acknowledge, reassure and thank it. Then tell it to take a nap.

Tell others of your plans. When I was writing Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment, there were many challenges I had not foreseen. It took much more work and knowledge than I’d envisioned in writing, marketing and financing. Many women had confided personal stories and entrusted me with their message. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, conveying their message was something I was here to do. Making my plans public made any misgivings. It also brought forward help from people I would not have approached. Share your dream with others. It signals your intention to Spirit.

Do a reality check. Challenge assumptions. Rather than asking yourself, “Who am I do be doing this?” ask, “Who am I NOT to be doing this?” When words like “never”, “always”, “should/could/would” creep into my thoughts, I ask, “Says who?” There’s always some myth or false belief behind that thought which when challenged, proves invalid.

Focus on your vision. I know I’m here to create the space that inspires others on their path; and I’ve got unique skills and experience with which to do it. That power that helps me, is far greater than the power of fear. I just have to decide whether I give my energy to fear and create resistance against my own spirit, or go with what I know is right for me.

Do a gut check. I do this when fear tries to take hold and stop me from doing something. I ask myself, “How would I feel if I don’t do what I believe is right for me?” Then I ask, “How does it feel if I do it, in spite of difficulties?” At the beginning of summer I had a desire for extended travel but no plans to do so. I told myself I couldn’t afford the time away, the money to do it, it would be too hot—you name it. Then I realized this was my spirit guiding me and there was a purpose for me to go. I ended up traveling for six weeks–an experience I plan to build on next year. If it’s right to do, there will be a way to do it.

Let go and trust. There’s a very small circle of things you can control. What you can always control is your choices—how you respond to situations and who and what you give your energy to. Learning to surrender is one of life’s hardest lessons. It’s said that there are two plans for every day: your plans and Spirit’s plan. Sometimes they’re the same. Often they’re not.

Give it to the mythic. Hand over your fear to whoever your higher power is. That frees you up in so many ways to do what you’re here to do.

There’s no better time than the present to Live Your Dreams. Wherever you are on your path, take that next step towards your dream.

This post is a part of the Summit Blog Tour, which leads up to the Soul*Full Summit hosted by Catherine Just. I’m thrilled to be a part of an event that empowers entrepreneurs, artists and creatives to take action toward their dreams while helping create more opportunities for people with Down syndrome. You can join the movement by signing up for the Summit HERE.