How do we find the courage to step past our fears in pursuit of our dreams?
I recently celebrated my second anniversary as a full-time consultant, and I have found myself reflecting on the important lessons I’ve learned so far on this journey.
When I think back to my mindset two years ago, I felt I was standing on the edge of the unknown.
After more than 10 years with a large non-profit, I had recently switched sectors, taking on a new position with a new company. Within 90 days, I had left that new director role.
I resigned specifically because of many challenges I was experiencing, but also because I knew on a fundamental level that I wasn’t on the right path.
I was listening to my body, mind, and spirit, and while I found a great deal of fear and resistance, I ultimately faced that fear, embracing the risk to fully transition from that director role into starting my own business — all while being the sole provider for a growing family. It was a huge decision, as you can imagine. The key for me was to quiet the fear by holding onto faith and to a belief in myself — and by stepping out of my comfort zone by asking with all my heart for the people in my life and the universe itself to support me.
But for now, back to my moment of fear and my leap of faith. When I was transitioning out of that short-lived director position, I wrote a letter to the CEO and my supervisor, and I spoke my truth. I laid everything out in a professional, strengths-based manner, and lo and behold, they became my first and longest-standing client.
Of course, fear is not just a momentary thing. It’s a part of life. And so I had to develop specific strategies to keep myself on the difficult path I had chosen.
One of the methods I use to calibrate my inner compass on a daily basis is to speak small mantras to myself. For instance, I repeat during my meditations the reminder that “All of my blessings are on the other side of my fears.”
And the more I consider the journey of the past two years, the more I see that it has been an embodiment of this mantra.
Anything in life that brings you fear and makes you worried is probably a signal that you’re actually headed in the right direction. Head toward the fear and see what’s on the other side of it. No matter the details, what you’ll find is freedom from that fear and from the mindset that you are afraid of change.
Using the term “manifestation” brings up a lot of feelings in a lot of people, so I hesitate to talk about it in that specific way.
For me, a belief that the universe will meet me halfway, that I am not in this alone — that idea rings true in my soul.
But just as importantly, through this process of self-inflection, I am definitive about what I want for my life and my business, and I speak to it daily. And as with any self-accountability practice, it’s not a once-and-done kind of thing. This is an ongoing commitment, a continuous release of the fear and doubt that come so frequently connected to running the business. It is a lifestyle.
In completely and intentionally releasing those doubts, separating from a scarcity mindset, and always trying to remain in a more abundant, positive frame of mind, I am able to live in liberation even as I continue to reach higher.
Whether that’s because I’ve manifested it and the universe has my back, or whether it’s just because I have taken the time to really get to know myself and my skills and my value, I can’t say for sure. But I am continually learning the lesson that if I act in a positive way, and I trust that good things are in store, then good things will happen – and they will often be much greater than I had even dared hoped for.
And so whether I’m manifesting my dreams, or accomplishing my goals through clarity and intentional action, or some combination of the two, I continue to stay focused in my power. I express my gratitude without any caveats, and I walk confidently through the doors that open before me.
The path will always be different than I imagine, but by staying true to myself, my purpose and my vision for the future, I find that each step I take leads me down the path I have chosen — even when that step feels like a leap of faith.