I've been working on a website for my health and fitness business for several weeks now and am super geeked to share helpful information about health, fitness, movement hygiene (you'll hear more about that one soon!) , function, form, mobility, macros, at home work outs, recipes and SO much more. So, why has it taken me so long to post something in my blog?
Fear.
Fear of knowing I don't yet know everything. And, coming to terms with knowing I never will.
Fear of what readers will think.
Fear of whether I should be super technical, which leads to annoying, or light and airy, which may lead people to think I don't know enough about what I'm talking about.
So, here I am...
Finally jumping over that hump, and I've decided $@!* all that head noise, and told myself, just be you. No ego. No self judgement. Just you.
Do what you love, share what you know, and be confidently you (Get the feeling I'm talking to myself in the mirror? I totally do. If you haven't tried it, you should. It works!). And, while I'm always going to focus on learning and growing, and will be open to constructive criticism, the naysayers, doubters, and haters have no space here. With so much love and passion for all things health & fitness, and for helping others, I have a lot of ideas and great info to share. So, keep your eyes peeled!
Ahhh, fear - Do you know that awful feeling? No one likes it, but let's face it, everyone has it. It's absolutely normal. The key is not to let it hold you back. Here's the thing, we all fear our abilities, especially when it's something new that's out of our comfort zone. As I think back to some of my favorite and most empowering fitness experiences, I still remember that very real and raw feeling fear brought to each and every experience. You may feel afraid to start your own fitness journey because of fear of failure. Or, maybe you're afraid to join a gym because you aren't sure you'll fit in, or don't feel fit enough to start.
My first marathon was one of those experiences. To this day, I'm honestly not sure I would've attempted anything beyond a 5- or 10-K had my sister not taken the liberty to sign me up. I thought she was crazy. Yes, I enjoyed running, but how would I ever run that far?! I spent a few months training and through that experience alone, I had some great runs and a few that felt like major failures. And, then race day arrived. I couldn't sleep the night before. The morning of, my nerves had me running to the bathroom more times than I'd like to admit. While we waited for the start, it seemed as though everyone around me was so much more excited and confident than I was feeling. I paced. Got my headphones and gear on. Paced a little more. And, then it started... I felt good while running to the distance I had already become comfortable with. Half way through, I still felt ok. But, then it came - I hit a serious wall. My entire body ached, I felt like I was going to throw up, and a deep fear set in. My thoughts were telling me, "this is SO hard, don't you just want to stop?". Honestly, I did want to stop. So, I decided to walk a bit. My amazing sister and a few other runners walked and talked beside me and, after about a mile of walking I began to realize whether walking or jogging, I could finish. And, I did. And, went on to run 4 more.
Be true to you. To the person you are meant to be. Move beyond the fear and go for those goals that you've been holding back on. Whether fitness or otherwise, here are 3 authentic actions you can take today to overcome your fears:
1. Change your thoughts. Rewire your brain.
Fear is ingrained early in life. As children, we're told what we can't do, have or be on a daily basis. As we grow, we start to question our thoughts and actions, fearing the outcome or what others will think. In order to overcome those doubtful and negative thoughts, we have to change what we tell ourselves. Interrupt that inner dialog. How? Surround yourself with positive people that support you and lift you up, read uplifting books, meditate, develop mantras and affirmations to build positive thoughts and increase self confidence. If you don't rewire your thoughts, you'll remain stuck in the headspace you continue to allow life to create for you.
2. Plan and take action.
We all know the saying - if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. If you don't have a well thought out plan, worry and fear sets in as we overanalyze. Set clear intentions and goals. Create a detailed action plan to provide a roadmap for achieving your goals. And, take action. Remember, progress over perfection. You may need to make changes along the way. That's part of the process, just keep moving forward.
3. Do one thing that scares you every day.
Stepping out of comfort zones is scary. But, the more you hold back from doing things that scare you, the bigger your fears become. Fear shapes your actions. That's no way to live. You don't need to do something big to break that cycle. You can start by choosing to do one small thing every day that scares you. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. And, if you do this daily, instead of letting fear shape your habits, you form a new habit of doing the things that scare you. Your courage will grow, and the barriers that once held you back will slowly disappear. And, you'll see your infinite potential and ability to achieve all of your goals and dreams.
Remember, fear is a feeling, and all feelings can be controlled. On the other side of fear is your greatness. Take these authentic actions today and move one step closer to your greatness. And, after each step, realize how far away that fear is now.
We're in this together and I look forward to empowering you each step of the way! For more help, contact me directly at janice@freedomhf.com.
