Spring Into Action in the Face of Fear

It is magnificent to spring into action in the face of fear! There are many situations in life that require a person to take action, and to take that action, now even in the face of fear. Fear is commonly defined as the state of being afraid or apprehensive. Taking action now means that you move and do what needs doing, now.  Fear, if left unchecked, unchallenged and free to roam, makes it difficult to take action now. The next time you have something to do that causes you to feel fear, find your courage and take action anyway. Courage is not the absence of fear, instead it is  taking action in the face of fear. You must find the courage to spring into taking action now in the face of fear. In other words, when it comes to taking action now, you must put on your big girl panties and your fake it until you make it dress and get to doing what needs doing!

photo credit: Lynn Friedman via photopin cc

  In order for things to get done, action must take place. Fear is not sufficient justification to put off taking action. Bad things happen when fear stops a person from taking action now. Some of the things a person can expect when she allows fear to stop her from taking action now are:

• embarrassment
• failure
• disappointment
• missed opportunity
• loss of income

None of these are things that a person wants to experience. However, what is exciting about having the courage to act and take action in the face of fear is that if you do it once, you can do it again. In other words, if you find the courage just once to take action in the face of fear, that action will give you strength to take action again in the face of fear. You cannot wait for pretty words, perfect situations, and just the right moments.  When it is time to take action, take it!

There are several wonderful things that happen when you find the courage to look past fear and take action now. A few of these things are:

• achievement of the desired results
• success
• satisfaction

It feels good to take action when you should and move towards getting the results you want. There is something good and wonderful about working towards a goal and achieving your desired results. Success is habit-forming. Once a person has success in one area, the feeling of satisfaction that is obtained is so pleasant that one wants to feel it again and again. Therefore, it is good to find courage in the face of fear and take action now. The problem is that some people do not know how to find the courage to take action in the face of fear.

There are a two tricks that I have found helpful when I am scared to take necessary action:

• the five second rule from Lost
• be like Nike

In the first episode of the television show Lost one of the characters told another that he found the strength to battle his fear by allowing panic and fear to run wild for five seconds, five seconds only and then he went into action doing what needed to be done. I have used that tactic on several occasions with success. The first time I used it was before the television show aired. But once it did air, I always used that story as an example of a way to handle fear. For example, when I defended a client charged with murder for the first time, when the jury walked in to start the day I was scared to death. As I sat in my chair I acknowledged that I was scared, nervous and afraid. I admitted it to myself and thought about it for five to ten seconds. Then I shook my head, pushed the fear aside and got down to business. I was later able to enjoy the success and satisfaction of my client being found not guilty by a jury of his peers.

Photo Credit: Janeane Davis, Spring into Action in the Face of Fear

I have also used the Nike, "just do it" attitude to take action when I was afraid to act. When I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with my twins and my husband was rushed to the hospital I was terrified. However, I had to get my two children out of the house and around the corner with me to the hospital. At that point I could either do what I wanted to do which was sit and cry or I could hide my fear and get to the hospital and handle the business that needed handling. So, I sucked it up put the kids in the car and went around the corner to the hospital. There was no pausing, no hesitation. There was only just doing it.These are not pretty stories. It is not pretty to be afraid. It is not cute to find the courage to take action in the face of fear. But, it is a thing that needs doing.

 In conclusion, it is magnificent to find the courage to spring into action and act now in spite of fear. So, the question for you this magnificent day is, what do you do to get things done when you feel afraid?