Happy Hump Day!
As promised, I’m going to give you all a little play-by-play on how I began to overcome my mental block with social media. It hasn’t been an easy journey to be vulnerable in the digital age, but it has given me a newfound freedom. I hope these tips help you to open your mind and truly let go of your fears. Enjoy!
#1 Awareness: In other words, find the fear. I recommend meditation. Sit down, get comfortable, and focus on your breath. After a few minutes, zone in on your fears. What are hard things for you to do? What are you scared of? What is coming up for you? What are repeating thoughts coming to mind? Write it allllll down, no judgement, just observation.
#2 Attack the why: Behind every fear, there is a story, a reason, a why. Think about things you experienced, interactions you’ve had. Open yourself up to being vulnerable. Is your fear to speak out in the board room because you got made fun of during a middle school speech? Did you have a bully draw a heinous picture of you as a child? Are you scared you won’t be accepted? Make a list. Identify the why.
#3 Action: Action can come in many different forms. For me the podcast was my first start. The first thing I posted on social media and the first time I started to share my life, knowledge and conversations for the world to hear. You know what I realized? That fear is so much louder than reality. The podcast brought me more joy, creativity and passion than anything else I had done in my career. Maybe you create a website, maybe you buy a journal, maybe you talk to the cute barista at the coffee shop. Once you make that first move, I promise you the other side of fear is everything you want and more.
#4 Repetition: Whether it’s daily meditations, weekly breath-work sessions, or just getting 3 posts up a week. Take action continuously. For me, I meditate daily. I take action on good days, bad days, and all the days in between. I notice when the fear is present, and I let go with ease. I remind myself daily that my deepest desires are far greater than the tricks my mind likes to play on me.
#5 Create a support system: Surround yourself with people that too are doing the work to overcome their fears. Surround yourself with those who encourage you to be vulnerable, because they are too. Surround yourself with friends who live authentically. It was one of the most difficult steps for me, connection is human nature and so having to distance myself from people who I no longer could identify with was difficult at first. In the end though, I’ve realized that quality is so much better than quantity. Ultimately though, if your friends or family do not support your deepest desires, then they are not for you, it’s that simple.
Ultimately, fears can be crippling but the process of overcoming them is so incredibly rewarding! Take advice from people who are doing the thing you are, or who you admire. Outside of that, trust yourself. Trust your ideas and trust what’s calling on you to create. We are all creative beings in nature. Take action, be bold, be fearless, and do the inner work. Your dream life is in the hands of you and no one else.