Martha Beck's 6-Step Guide to Taming Your Fears
Nothing gets our hearts racing like a little harmless terror—so why not harness what frightens you to make your life richer?
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4. Keep taking one more step
Heroes aren't free from fear; they're just so focused on a worthy goal that they feel they can't turn back. Most of humankind's great achievements—the sorts of things that make us say, "Oh, wow!"—were accomplished by people who were muttering or shouting, "Oh, shit!" Heroes don't feel special, just dogged. They walk their scary paths with shaky knees and trembling hands. One shaky, trembling step at a time.
5. Watch the path, not the obstacles
"When you shoot," my friend Jim, a hockey player, once told me, "you never want to look at the goalie. Look at the space around him. Where your eyes go, the puck goes." A white-water kayaker warned me, "Look at the water, not at the rocks. Where your eyes go, the boat goes." My riding instructor shouted, "Look where you want to go, not where you don't. Where your eyes go, the horse goes."
Got it? Where our attention goes, our lives go. As you take each step, be peripherally aware of dangers, but glue your attention to the path between them.
6. Celebrate each step
Many of my clients think they don't deserve to celebrate until they've conquered huge fears to reach epic milestones. Not me. To stay motivated, I celebrate after I make one bed, write one e-mail, fill out one page of a tax form. Even if you're much more courageous than I am, I suggest you do the same. Celebrating makes fascination all the more joyful—and it builds confidence, which is much more useful than avoiding fear.
If you live this way—seeking out what captivates and cows you, pushing beyond your comfort zone, making sure you're serving a noble purpose—you'll live a life full of absorbing adventures. You may even save the world. In which case, the rest of us just might end up watching you on TV, in between doctors diagnosing horrible illnesses and detectives solving grisly murders. And just think how thrilling that would be.
Martha Beck is the author of six books, including Steering by Starlight (Rodale)
More Help for Facing Your Fears
Heroes aren't free from fear; they're just so focused on a worthy goal that they feel they can't turn back. Most of humankind's great achievements—the sorts of things that make us say, "Oh, wow!"—were accomplished by people who were muttering or shouting, "Oh, shit!" Heroes don't feel special, just dogged. They walk their scary paths with shaky knees and trembling hands. One shaky, trembling step at a time.
5. Watch the path, not the obstacles
"When you shoot," my friend Jim, a hockey player, once told me, "you never want to look at the goalie. Look at the space around him. Where your eyes go, the puck goes." A white-water kayaker warned me, "Look at the water, not at the rocks. Where your eyes go, the boat goes." My riding instructor shouted, "Look where you want to go, not where you don't. Where your eyes go, the horse goes."
Got it? Where our attention goes, our lives go. As you take each step, be peripherally aware of dangers, but glue your attention to the path between them.
6. Celebrate each step
Many of my clients think they don't deserve to celebrate until they've conquered huge fears to reach epic milestones. Not me. To stay motivated, I celebrate after I make one bed, write one e-mail, fill out one page of a tax form. Even if you're much more courageous than I am, I suggest you do the same. Celebrating makes fascination all the more joyful—and it builds confidence, which is much more useful than avoiding fear.
If you live this way—seeking out what captivates and cows you, pushing beyond your comfort zone, making sure you're serving a noble purpose—you'll live a life full of absorbing adventures. You may even save the world. In which case, the rest of us just might end up watching you on TV, in between doctors diagnosing horrible illnesses and detectives solving grisly murders. And just think how thrilling that would be.
Martha Beck is the author of six books, including Steering by Starlight (Rodale)
More Help for Facing Your Fears
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