I have been invited to speak at a seminar produced by Skills 4 Living, a non-profit org that supports low-income families to prepare to raise their income and improve their situation in life. They asked me to speak to the fear of change. Frankly I was not sure I could speak on this topic, not sure I had a story to tell that would matter to the participants. But I believe in the program and decided to see if I could write a story and a process that would help people face the fear of change when they attempt to grow in their lives. I am so glad I said yes!
As I wrote the story, I was able to look back at my life and see the numerous times that I took risks to grow and how well I had been supported by spirit to change and grow. Not only that, I also discovered 4 steps that I have always used to face the fear of change and to help me go through the time of tension and terror that always accompanies a change in life. The 4 steps are easily remembered by using the word FEAR.
- Feel the emotion of fear, tension and anxiety. Don’t avoid, just be still and feel it fully.
- Express it out of your body. Scream, cry, dance, act, paint or write it out of you. Keep expressing until you get still and peaceful.
- Accept it. Accept that you are changing and that you are taking a risk and that you can’t control the outcome. And ask for help, pray and meditate.
- Remember the vision of what you saw was possible you had when you decided to change, recall the impulse that excited you and caused you to take a chance.
