Is fear necessarily a bad thing?

People spend a lot of time, money, and effort avoiding feeling this emotion. Some feel like they need to face their fears, while others simply seek to avoid them. But what if you thought of fear as a good thing? Something to be embraced and welcomed.

Sometimes fear can be a great motivator. Have you ever set a goal and immediately feared that you wouldn’t be good enough, talented enough, smart enough, etc. and that fear has motivated you to do your very best? Even if you weren’t able to meet that goal, you likely exceeded your expectations. If fear serves to motivate and not debilitate, you can achieve far more than you ever dreamed. I believe that motivation is the best possible purpose of fear. It reminds you of your comfort zone and if the conditions are right, you may push further than you previously imagined.

An example of how fear has served as a motivator for me in my life. Over the past year, I have set a goal for myself to run a marathon in the next 5 years. This goal triggered a lot of fear for me because I didn’t exercise outside at all and I didn’t have a regular exercise routine. Since setting this HUGE goal, I started hiking, walking or running outside weekly. I signed up for my first 5k last year and ended up completing 8 over the course of the year. I signed up for my first 10k this year and have already completed one and have three more scheduled later in the year. Next year, I will run my first half-marathon. This terrifying goal has helped to motivate me to be more mindful of my own physical health. I’ve gained motivation to work on this huge goal through several smaller choices that add up. Even if it takes longer than 5 years for me to complete a marathon or something prevents me from future running, I am so proud of the steps that I’ve already taken towards completing this goal. I’m also proud of the feats that I’ve achieved. Feats that I’m certain I wouldn’t have achieved without that first goal last year that made me fear and terror, but also a significant amount of inspiration and motivation.

Activity: Think about a few times in your life when you have experienced fear. Recall what comfort zone you were pushing. How did each fear serve you in that situation? Did it motivate you to push to new areas or did it pull you back to a more comfortable area? Now think about an area in your life where you are currently experiencing fear. This may also look like worry, anxiety, or indecisiveness. Thinking about this area of your life, ask yourself:

· What comfort zone is this fear trying to keep me in?

· Is there a way that this fear could motivate me to push this boundary?

· Is there any risk to myself or others that would keep me in my comfort zone?

· What might I gain if I pushed beyond this comfort zone?

· How might I act if I were to be motivated by this fear? What actions might I take?

What’s next? Consider the potential options available to you as a reaction to this experience of fear. Assuming safety, what actions could you take that could nudge this comfort zone larger?