Greetings from Thailand where I have been in cages with tigers, almost lit myself on fire while learning how to cook drunken noodles and rode an elephant bareback through the jungle in Chiang Mai. Needless to say it was not a typical week!

Admittedly, I can be a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to adventure. However I know that once in a lifetime experiences do not happen when we just play it safe.  So this week my motto was, “Feel the fear and do it anyway!”

Fear gets a bad rap and we are often told we should be “fearless.” But having absolutely no fear is rather impossible and potentially limiting.  Sometimes we use fear as an excuse not to do something that could truly be transformational or just downright exhilarating!

Are you waiting for fear to go away before you take a leap of faith toward your dreams?

Is fear stopping you from doing something you truly need or want to do?

If I had waited to not feel scared before lying on top of a tiger that was three times my size, I never would have had the magical experience of looking into the eyes of one of the most magnificent creatures on earth.

If I had allowed fear to stop me from throwing the water into the wok that lit a huge fire making me jump about six feet, I would deprived myself the satisfaction of tasting the authentic Thai dish I prepared myself.If I had played it safe by just petting the elephant rather than jumping on him bareback, I would have prevented myself from feeling what it was like to be carried and cared for by such a powerful creature (btw, don’t be jealous of the awesome uniform the elephant camp gave us to wear. If that outfit reflected my fashion-sense that would truly be scary!)

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My encouragement to you today is to feel the fear and do it anyway. Don’t wait to be fearless.  True courage is moving forward even if you feel a bit scared.

Now on the other hand, sometimes fear can be a great indicator of when not to do something.  For instance, I was about to hop into a Tuk Tuk (that’s the Thai version of a taxi which is a cross between a motorbike and car) with a driver who appeared to be about 80 years old.  When he couldn’t hear me, had to turn on a flashlight to see the address and seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, my intuition raised a red flag and I felt the fear say, “No!” 

There is a difference between using fear as an excuse not to do something and attuning to when your intuition is warning you. You can feel the difference between the kind of natural fear that accompanies the excitement/nervousness of doing something outside your comfort zone and fear that is guiding you away from potential danger. 

The key to making this distinction is feeling into the sensation of the location you feel the fear in your body. If it is in your head or chest, it is most likely a physiological reaction to fear-based thoughts that increases the more you think about a situation. Conversely, if you feel an immediate unsteady sensation in your belly where your gut just knows something is “off” that is most likely your intuition. Please note: only YOU know how your intuition speaks to you so always attune to yourself over my advice.

Remember, if you wait to not be scared to do something YOU WILL NEVER DO IT. There is a big cost to that in terms of what you could be experiencing in your life.  Playing it safe will keep you safe but ultimately not satisfied.

All right, time for me to step away from my laptop . . . after all this adrenalin raising adventure, I’m due for some time beach time!

Love,

Christine