When you choose Courage over Fear and test your long-held limiting beliefs, you might surprise yourself.
Even after learning to swim (in my 40’s) I was deathly afraid of not being able to touch the bottom with my feet, whether it be in a lake, ocean or pool. I would panic, often make a fool of myself, and walk away. Even just standing there, if the water began to go above my lower chest, the panic would start.
I made a decision to swim the length of the beach pool and back without fear. And was determined to stay there until it was done.
STEPPING INTO COURAGE
It was early morning and no-one was around yet. The sea was crashing over the walls, which made me feel even more nervous, but I was determined. The sun was shining, I was ready!
I began by swimming the width of the pool, and did this a few times before trying to swim the length. (This was a BIG pool.)
After a few attempts I managed to get to the centre of the pool,-where it began to get deeper -before I panicked. I’d then grab the side of the pool (where the steps were) wait until the panic died down and swim back. Then, I attempted to swim the second half - the deeper end. After many attempts I finally reached the far end of the pool. I was a mess! I held on, shaking, and thinking “Now I have to get back!!!)
Utter panic!
I could feel the slime and shells on the side of the pool as I attempted to ‘kick off’ - and felt sick - but I did it. I made it to the half-way steps and stayed there for a while, thinking about what I had just done and shaking. (sounds ridiculous now)
I did that so many times, over and over, until I could do it without panicking. And THEN, I swam the whole way, back and forth, back and forth until I was exhausted. I didn’t want to have to do it all again from the beginning, and wanted to make sure the fear was gone.
Over the next few days I repeated this process, to make it stick. I was totally elated and proud of my efforts. It was a total life-changer for me that led to so many other opportunities.
MY AWAKENING
The point of sharing this is to invite you to take a look at your own limiting beliefs, whatever they may be, and then invite and encourage you to DO whatever IT is. To have that belief in yourself, because when it comes to the crunch, YOU are the co-creator of you own life.
You GET to do this!
And no-one can do it for you. I find that quite liberating, once it sinks in. You have the power to do and be so much more than what you settle for.
Once it’s done, you can never go back - it’s remarkable, and can be life-changing.
My ‘awakening’ came toward the end of my ‘big swim’- and as the panic began to well up in my body one more time, I had a strong sense of ‘knowing’ that “I can do this, I won’t drown, I can swim”! and I let go of the fear, it just dissolved into the pool and disappeared. I can’t even describe what that felt like.
I used this ‘strategy’ again to allay my 30 year fear of dogs too. I adopted a beautiful rescue German Shepherd, then another one. (Boy did they change my life
)
I was on a mission to remove the word ‘fear’ from my vocabulary.
I also began to realize that It’s a word, that’s all.
TRANSCENDING FEAR
I also began to realize that It’s a word, that’s all.
Just 4 letters of the alphabet
F E A R …. they could mean anything. BUT…
The meaning we give to them is all ours, we make the meanings up, and add to them, glorify them, and then eventually they become a part of our Identity. Until we become so rigid and stuck in our way of thinking that we don’t even try to change. That was ME. That’s how I felt, for years!!!
Until I decided to do something different.
We all have that choice.
And by making Choice our best ally - rather than holding onto beliefs that were handed down, drummed into us or created by circumstance - we take back our personal power.
Your Personal Powers are innate. And when you learn how to access and use them, your life will never be the same again. (This is something I do now with clients and is transformational)
My Annagram for FEAR is Face Embrace Align Replace - and I encourage you to create your own meanings.
Face - the fact. You have a fear - that’s all. It’s an emotion that you brought into being
Embrace - the fact. Fear is an opportunity for change - a gift that you get to co-create
Align - your energy, with what you want instead (which must be greater than your fear)
Replace - the fear with a more useful emotion that’s aligned with your greater good
In my case that looked like:
I have a fear of swimming - fact
I have an opportunity to change this fact (if I really want to)
My intention is to energize my courage and determination rather than my fear
I will replace fear with courage and determination - and embody it via repetition..
I would love this personal story to be a catalyst for you and something you've been longing to change. It begins with a first step, and that can be as tiny as you wish. As long as you follow through and take one more, until you finally get to feel how you really want to feel and experience the other side.
My primary message is for you to be the co-creator of your own life - accept nothing less. The Universe will be right with you, guiding every step, once you have made that full-bodied decision and taken that first initial step!
And of course, if you want help with this, or any area where you're feeling stuck, can't seem to move forward, I'm only a message away. DM me on Facebook or hit reply and share your concerns. I would love to be your Catalyst for massive change and help you step up big time. Courage or Fear?
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