Make Room for Fear And Your Dreams

Is there something you’ve put off doing until you have the time? Perhaps you’ve put it off until you have the money. Or, maybe, you’ve put it off until you have both the time and the money. You may think you’re waiting for the time, the money, or both. Sometimes those reasons are valid. I will not advocate for anyone to put themselves into a position to lose their livelihood or go bankrupt. However, if you have been putting off a dream for a long while, take a minute. It’s time to reassess why you’ve put it off. Fill in the blanks: you want to wait until you have time because if you don’t…. You want to wait until you have the money because if you don’t… Did your answers surprise you? The way to success is to make room for fear and your dreams.

The crisis my family faced this week has me reassessing my goals. At first, in the throes of a life-threatening crisis brings, I thought I would have to give up on my dreams. That was fear. I acknowledge my fear. It’s my brain and my psyche trying to protect me. I have reasons to be afraid. But I will not let fear set aside my dreams nor set my priorities. And neither should you.

It doesn’t have to be a big fear that stops us. It can be the little fears. I’ll miss something. If I spend money on this impossible dream, I won’t have it if something bad happens. Sometimes the little fears have reset your priorities without your being aware of it.

White text on a red background where the text reads ""Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration." Dune, Frank Herbert
“Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.”

Sometimes the fears are the big ones—I might disappoint someone, I won’t be good enough, I might fail. This is your brain trying to trick you into not trying. My brain, trying to cope with the fear of a life-threatening crisis, went into fear mode and tried to tell me I must stop creating. Fortunately, I’ve trained myself to reassess those change-my-goals thoughts. In truth, it doesn’t matter if you aren’t good enough. So what if you fail? Whose disappointment is the greater—the person you fear to let down or your disappointment that you didn’t try? The steps to my goals have to be adjusted a bit, but I am not giving up. I deserve my dreams, just as you deserve yours.

The thing about dreams is that most of the time the work you do toward the dream, the struggle, the trying and failing, are what makes the dream worth it. Embrace the fear but don’t let it stop you.

So take a page from the Bible:

"Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death I will fear no evil." Psalms 23
“Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death I will fear no evil.”

Start with small steps. You get to decide where to step, how many steps, and how often you take those steps.

white text on a black background reads "Start by doing what's necessary: then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." Francis of Assisi
“Start by doing what’s necessary: then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Francis of Assisi

This blog, posted much later than I normally would, is one of the baby steps I’m taking. How are you reassessing your priorities? What step are you taking today to make room for fear and your dreams?

4 comments

  1. In my case, I think it’s more of a simple lack of time and energy. I only have so much of both after I do the work I need to to make a living, and what little is left must be divided between the dreams. So right now, I’m focusing on the new house. I’m not quitting writing; that dream is simply deferred – and I’m hoping, for not too much longer. Yeah, there’s probably some silly fear in there too that I have to deal with.

    Hope things get settled down enough so that you can get back to your writing!

    1. Changing priorities is allowed, Jeannette. *smile* For me, every time I “make a choice”to defer my writing it’s because of fear influences me to avoid the hard work of writing. Good luck to you on you house planning and building!

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