It's time to have a chat with the bogey man.

The bogey man or bogey person :) is what I call all the fear that keeps you for moving forward.  Yesterday I wrote about what if he was NOT outside your door?  What if all your fears for NOT moving forward were not real.  What if they were just all in your head?

Well of course they are in your head you silly goose!  But they can still seem very real and can truly stop you in your tracks.  

Fear is a powerful emotion that has kept people in "their place" for centuries!  Don't know if that makes you feel better or not... 

• People don't speak up at work because they are afraid they will lose their job.  
• People don't speak up in relationships because they fear they won't be loved. 
• People don't do what's in their heart because they fear what will be said about them and to them.

That's some power there!

So here's what I think we need to do.  We need to figure out if fear is stopping us.  We need to have a chat with the bogey man and get to the bottom of it. What are we afraid of?

One way to do this is to have a conversation with him.  Heh...don't laugh.  It can help.  Do it in writing.  Start by writing down I really want ___________(fill in the blank) but I am afraid. 

Then write What am I afraid of? Then start writing. If nothing comes to mind....ask again.  Keep asking until you get an answer and then keep writing.  You can ask "Is there anything more?"  Don't be surprised.  My bet is that there is...

I believe that nothing you write will hurt you.  At some level you already know the answer.  What may make you uncomfortable is finally putting a name to it.  But as soon as you name it you can start dealing with it on an even playing field.

More about that tomorrow.

 

Comments

[Janice]

Great idea to personalise your fear :)

[Aletha McManama]

Jean, I like the idea of writing down the fear, then naming it. I never really thought of it that way. I'll have to follow this idea the next time I'm afraid of something.

[Jean Buschke]

A key for me has been writing them down. My head can hold alot and when they start all a'swirling it can feel overwhelming! :) Writing them down helps. Thanks for your comments Janice and Aletha! :)