I have been taking a blogging course (Blogging Your Way) with the fabulous and wonderful Holly Becker of the blog Decor8.  I initially took this class last year, but was so busy at the time, I couldn’t embrace all their was to learn.  I am back as a student for the next 6 weeks to try to take it all in again.  Holly is a great teacher… gracious, knowledgeable, highly supportive and motivating.   Each Wednesday we are treated to a podcast by her on a topic that works with the other materials for the week.  I would like to share some points of today’s podcast- including her thoughts and some of my own observations/experiences after listening. 

Holly‘s podcast on “Fear” has really created a conversation in my head about how this has worked in my own life.  She talked about how we can use fear to successfully motivate positive changes in our lives instead of letting fear overcome us and either stop us in our tracks or alter our thinking to the negative.

What about you?  Is fear stopping you from being all you were designed to be?

You only get one chance to live today.

Are you living authentically in your true passion?

Fear can motivate us to make changes in our lives and really move us into our “own”.  Small changes can be the spark to keep us “alive” while we wait for the bigger change to fully arrive.  Fear can be a more motivational feeling than regret.  Fear can motivate us vs. regret is done.   Don’t regret what you were too afraid to move past.  Use that fear as a catalyst to make great changes to claim the life you were designed for. 

Until recently, I was letting my fear of some business decisions cloud my decisions, my faith, and my ability to actually do what I am designed to be doing.  I was allowing my fear of outside influences to drive my choices, not letting my true voice be heard.  I was succumbing to the pressure of what is expected and accepted as “normal”.   I wasn’t doing what is true to my heart.  Which almost lead me to make some choices that were not the best for me or my business.   (There will be a post on that topic on another day, but for now I will stick with how fear can motivate us.)

In the last 6 weeks, I have moved forward through my faith in God and knowing His plans for my life and along with my new perspective, I have moved past fear and into peace.  I have made some new choices that have taken me out of “Fear” motivation and into using what I know is “True” to guide me.  I still don’t have it all figured out, but I am in a place of positive change, not in stagnant fear options.

The best things take time, so we need allow the new changes to take place in our lives as they need to.  Motivate yourself with the plans set forth for change, not just on how fast the changes get here.  Baby steps can make us stronger, so allow the pace to move slowly if that’s what is required.  Keep moving by improving oneself and making ourselves stronger in the process.  For me that means deep study and reflection each week.  It means I rely on trusted mentors to reinforce what I am learning elsewhere, all while awaiting the full change to come. 

Remember- every success, failure and moment up until now is preparing you for what is to come… are you ready for all that life has prepared you for?

I would love it if you’d leave a comment on what you are fearful of and how you plan on using that fear to motivate you to make needed changes in your life.