Moving Forwards Despite Fear
Author: Sarah Denholm

Recently, I’ve been working with some clients who, even though they have clear goals and want to move towards them, are held back by the fearful boundaries of their comfort zone as surely as if they had a rope tethering them to the ground. This is a very familiar feeling to me also, especially when I first started my own coaching business.


One of the things that can hold us back dramatically from going for what we know we want is fear of what might happen if we take those next steps. Yet our comfort zone is all about our past, what’s oh-so-familiar to us. To break free of those ropes, we just need to move in the direction of our dreams – one small step at a time.


The greatest fear-buster that we can use is to take action – any action. Our concerns, our "what-if’s", paralyze us, and can keep us locked into a life that no longer serves us for as long as we’ll let them. We may look for something or someone out there to alter before we move, or for a "sign" from the Universe that it will all work out in the end; these are not the answers.


Here are what I have found some of the answers to the paralysis to be:


1. Accept where you are right now. You are where you are, and resisting it will only pile on stress and drain away the energy that you’ll need to get moving on your dreams. Don’t fight it!


One idea that I’ve used at times is to simply observe myself as if I were looking at someone else. That ‘witnessing’ allowed me to back off and see the situation more clearly . What would I advise this person I was observing to do?


2. Commit to taking action towards what you want. Once you commit, all sorts of things start to happen, almost as though the Universe knows that you mean business.


3. Be prepared to live with the consequences of those actions – now this where a lot of people come unstuck, because they can’t face the possible consequences; but just remember that by not taking any action, that too will create its own results. That by not choosing, you’re making a choice.


I happen to believe that it’s better to be proactive, because then you have your hands on the reins. Isn’t that better than being at the mercy of other people’s wishes and plans for you? Because if you don’t choose your own reality, you’ll probably end up living someone elses.


4. Take a deep breath and move towards what you want. Work out some actions to take, and break them down into the smallest denominator that you need in order to actually DO something about your dream. For example:


Let’s say you need to make a phone call to kickstart the whole thing: it’s ok just to take the phone book down off the shelf and look at it for a while, until you feel strong enough to open it: I used to do this in my early days of cold-calling for my business!


If you hold back from taking too big a step at one time, that will also help to build energy and impatience to move to the next step - which is exactly what you need in order to succeed long-term.


5. Dream big, and build the picture in your mind; hold it there as you move towards it. A big enough why will move you forwards like nothing else. Lose sight of the reasons why, and you’re more likely to quit before you make it; in fact, I’d say it’s pretty inevitable. Don’t let your dreams fade out on you! Paint them in colour!

6. And finally, reward yourself when you take an action step. If you’re kind to yourself, you’ll be setting up internal systems that will sustain you over time. And remember, the vision has to be a lot more compelling than the fear...otherwise you’ll never get started! Let me know how you go.







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Contact Sarah for a FREE coaching session! Sarah Denholm is a trained coach living in Melbourne, Australia; she supports individuals, business owners & professionals to dissolve the obstacles that are getting in the way & create a more successful, balanced and fun life!

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