![]() ![]() ![]() Practice it every day: go toward whatever scares you, repeatedly. We can be grateful for what’s in front of us. Noticing that, we can turn back to the present moment: what’s here in front of us. We can immerse ourselves fully in the moment, feeling the fear in our bodies but still doing the action.įear is a worry about the future, which doesn’t exist. It’s just hormones in our bodies, just an energy of excitement.īeing in the moment, we can take action: write a book, have a conversation, go to a social event, get on stage. Notice that it’s not so bad, that we can actually be OK in the middle of that physical sensation. Stay with the fear, and notice how it feels as a physical sensation. The practice is to notice that there’s fear, and notice our habitual reaction. In fact, we can practice acting mindfully even with fear in our bodies. Just because fear is present, doesn’t mean we have to run. That means looking at how we think we’re not good enough, trying to learn to love ourselves, learning to trust ourselves to be OK even if we get rejected or if we fail.Īnd we can also courageously take action, in the presence of fear. Instead, we can go inward, and see the turmoil that’s in there that the fear is signaling, go into our cave of darkness and process whatever’s in there. ![]() So when we feel fear, it’s actually a signal that we should go toward the fear. What would happen if we pushed through that wall? We’d have freedom: the freedom to connect with others in a vulnerable way, to put ourselves out there and pursue the life of meaning we really want, to publish books and websites and podcasts and poems, to explore the world or create a non-profit organization, to make friends and love with an open heart.įreedom is on the other side of the wall of fear. We’re trapped by that wall of fear, as long as we keep avoiding it. By avoiding it, we remain on the side of the wall where we stay comfortable, where we know what we’re doing, where things are easy. But we push up against the fear, and it can hold us back because our normal response is to avoid that wall of fear. This is a freedom we desire, and that’s a healthy thing to want that kind of freedom. Whenever we feel fear, it means we’re up against some kind of wall … on the other side of the wall is some kind of freedom. Instead, fear is a useful signal that we should go toward something. So fear, then, is no longer a signal that we should run. That’s not physical danger, it’s all internal. Our deepest and most common fear is that we’re not good enough. The fear of not being good enough - if we’re not good enough (inadequate), we might fail, we might get rejected, we might be ridiculed, we might be found a fraud, we might need preparation because without it we won’t be adequate. You might notice that they are all really the same fear. Here are the top fears in a survey I did earlier this year: These days, the fears aren’t physical - they’re more about not being good enough. These days, we don’t usually have much physical danger (the lions have more to fear from us), but the same fear signals still happen, even when we’re trying to pursue our dreams or becoming vulnerable to other people. Once upon a time, fear was a signal to run from a lion or some other danger, and that was pretty useful. Or if we push up against that barrier, we see the fear as making the experience miserable, and cringe because of it.īut in truth, fear is a useful thing. What if we could master that tool? We’d become masters at life, able to push through fears of rejection, failure, ridicule, and more.įear is normally like a barrier for us, keeping us from doing awesome things in life. Leo on a pier in Guam (credit: Photograph by Norman M.We normally think of fear as something that’s holding us back, or something to be avoided … but what if we could see it as a powerful tool?.Leo and Eva (credit: Photograph by Josh Woll).Leo in Ecuador (credit: Photograph by Josh Woll).Leo smiling handsomely (credit: Photograph by Karen Walrond).Leo with son Seth (credit: Photograph by Eartha Goodwin).Started meditating, dove deeper and became a Zen student, later teaching meditation.Started a successful blog on simplicity.Wrote several best-selling books and ebooks.Ran several marathons and a 50-mile ultramarathon.He started Zen Habits to chronicle and share what he’s learned while changing a number of habits, including: He’s also a Zen student, and is on a mission to help the world open through uncertainty training. In 2010 moved from Guam to California, where he leads a simple life. He’s also a best-selling author, a husband, father of six children, and a vegan. He created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog with a million readers. Leo Babauta is a simplicity blogger & author. ![]()
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