Rule #3: Gasp

Start doing things that make you gasp and get the adrenalin flowing. Ask yourself, “What’s the gasp-level action here?” Your fears and a tough inner critic will chatter in your head. That’s normal, and just fine. When you hear that repetitive, irrational, mean inner critic, name it for what it is, and remember, it’s just a fearful liar, trying to protect you from any real or seeming risks. Go for the gasps and learn how false your inner critic’s narrative really is, and how conquerable your fears.

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When I’m trying to decide whether or not to do something, and if it’s a difficult decision, I’ll usually hesitate and get that fear like feeling. Normally, I chalk it up to “It must not be what I should do or I wouldn’t feel this way…” but after reading rule #3, I’m starting to understand that maybe I get that feeling not because it’s not what I should do but because I’m simply scared. It’s just fear of the unknown. It’s that feeling you get when you’re waiting in line to ride a roller coaster. You see people also waiting in line to ride, you see people getting on and getting off, you see that there’s no danger to the ride but you still feel that fear like feeling. Then you finally ride the roller coaster and you get off feeling excited. A lot of times I want to turn around and ride it 10 more times! Once you get over the initial fear like feeling and just DO IT you feel so much better.

I know I do, yet I still hesitate when it comes to some decisions I have to make in my life. I’d like to work on conquering those “fears”.