Green Lights Disguised As Red - The Power of Fear

Self-help ideas expand our idea of what is possible. They make us believe in our dreams and think big. ‘I’m going to do this!’ we say, ‘I’m going to be that!’ No longer will we sell ourselves short.

But waking up to another day and the weight of ‘reality’, those dreams suddenly seem more fiction than biography. In two minutes flat we are rationalizing the life we have now, and the fear that took a brief holiday is back. We return to security and routine.

But in her classic Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway (1987), Susan Jeffers says people see fear in totally the wrong way. It’s not an indicator you are reaching your limits; it is a green light to keep going. If you are not feeling any fear, you may not be growing.

There are different types of fear, but the killer is the simple belief that you won’t be able to handle something. You won’t be able to handle it if your partner leaves, you won’t be able to handle it if you don’t have a certain income etc.

The fact is, you can’t totally control your world. The key to not getting bogged down in fear is to affirm what is. Viktor Frankl’s concentration camp classic Man’s Search For Meaning describes some of the most hideous conditions humans have had to endure.

Within the barbed wired fences there were still people saying ‘yes’ to it all, choosing responsibility instead of giving up. Hate your job? Then either make a conscious choice to stay and make something out of it (an emphatic ‘yes’) - or go.

Staying positive in the face of fears may be cliché, but Jeffers says it's not just a feeling but a practice – you must do it every day. The short- and long-term effects are great. So don’t be embarrassed by playing motivational talks or collecting inspiring quotes – it works.

“The biggest pitfall as you make your way through life is impatience.” – Susan Jeffers. Impatient thoughts bring self-punishment, stress, dissatisfaction and fear. You have to trust that whatever you are doing is all unfolding perfectly and in the right time.

Those who never take any risks ironically live with a dread of something going wrong. They seek security above all else, but the effect is chronic insecurity. So feel the fear…and do it anyway.

But in her classic Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway (1987), Susan Jeffers says people see fear in totally the wrong way. It’s not an indicator you are reaching your limits; it is a green light to keep going. If you are not feeling any fear, you may not be growing.