How To Carpe Diem

overcome fear because yolo

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

If you’re like me, there are things you want to do but you are too scared to do them.

What are we afraid of?

Oh, let’s see. Rejection, failure, losing, being embarrassed, making a fool of ourselves, being judged, not being good enough, losing friends, falling flat on our face (sometimes literally). Really, the possibilities are endless.

Setting that aside, let’s move on to the inspirational bit, shall we?

Facing and overcoming our fears calls for a pep talk, formulated via a simple self-inquiry method.

By asking ourselves a series of questions, we’ll gain the clarity and inspiration we need to move forward with our pursuit.

Ask yourself:

1. What is the worst that could happen?

Truly, will anyone die? Will anything come of it that is utterly irreparable? Chances are, the answer is no. Try to think of the absolute worst outcome that could occur and decide if you could live with that result.

2. If not now, when?

You only have one life to live, and there is something inside of you urging you to do this thing. Listen to that voice and seize the day.

3. Am I taking myself too seriously?

Try having more fun with life instead of taking everything so seriously. Is there a way you could make this more playful?

4. Was I handed a unique opportunity?

Things happen for a reason. If someone offered you this chance, are you prepared to turn it down, assuming it might never come around again?

5. Can I look at this as an experiment?

Life is, after all, one big experiment. If you don’t like it, you never have to do it again. But if you never try, you’ll never know - you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

6. Is this a personal growth challenge?

Can you take this on as your current project to advance as a human? It’s likely pushing you outside your comfort zone, which is exactly what you need for growth and evolution.

7. Could it be a door opening for me?

Some things that require overcoming fears are a door opening to a whole new future. Or not, which is also fine. But if you don’t walk through that door, you will never know.

Photo by Johnson Wang on Unsplash

Our knee-jerk reaction to doing something that inspires fear in us, may be a resounding no. Sometimes that’s a legitimate feeling that we need to pay attention to. And other times, it pays to inquire just a bit deeper to see if it’s something we actually want to do, but first, we need to address our fears.

As we look back on our life, we find that some of our most intense memories and peak experiences involved at least a bit of fear. And if we didn’t muster up the courage to overcome it, we would have lost out on those experiences.

We can choose to live a life of comfort, one where we never have to expand and push ourselves to do something new and scary. We might be content, but we certainly won’t be excited or discover new things about ourselves or our world.

Take on the challenge of pushing yourself beyond your self-imposed limitations. The next time a potential adventure arises that inspires fear, don’t automatically reject the possibility of pursuing it. Instead, pause and try this self-inquiry. Be curious and dig deep for the answers. In time, you may find you become more courageous, and even start to seek out new opportunities.

Don’t shrink from the fear - tackle it head on. Whether it’s asking for a date or a raise, learning a difficult skill or trying out for a team, skydiving or scaling a peak - whatever has you running scared, this simple set of questions will lead you to face your fear and follow your heart.

If this work enriched your life even a smidge, would you considering giving a modest tip?