Fear and Courage

When we are emerging, we feel that nothing can stop us, right? We feel the fire of our own inner alignment, and the clarity of our truth is rocket fuel for making our dreams manifest. We ride high on what we know is right and we feel like we have super powers.

Until the fear hits. And just like that, Bam! We become paralyzed, we procrastinate, we stay up at night spinning in our repetitive negative mental constructs, we do everything we can to fight the fear or avoid the pain. It’s exhausting! And it has never worked for me.

I am tired of fighting fear.

In my podcast with Emerging Women Live 2015 speaker Elizabeth Gilbert (best-selling author of Eat Pray Love and The Signature of All Things), we question the standard meaning of the word “fearless.”

There’s a sense that fearlessness means we will try anything without regard for consequence, that we will take risk with no attention to repercussions, that we will leap off of buildings with nothing holding us back. These actions are brazen, but real fearlessness – real courage – is when we take action while feeling our fear and discomfort at the same time.

“People who are without fear actually scare me.” -Elizabeth Gilberttwitter

Here’s a little secret that I don’t often share – I dread public speaking. Or I should say: I dread the time leading up to the time when I am to speak. Once I am on stage, I feel comfortable, but the minutes, hours, and weeks leading up to that time are sheer torture. I feel like I am carrying a big weight on my shoulder that follows me everywhere.

But guess what? No matter how hard I try, I cannot avoid the public speaking part of what I am creating with Emerging Women. And so I stick with it – and bring my fear with me. Liz Gilbert goes so far as to say “have some reverence for your fear,” for it has treated you well, kept you alive in a world filled with dangers.

Courage comes from the French word coeur, meaning heart.

I love this because it brings a feminine perspective into the word courage, which for many years I have associated with the masculine paradigm – swinging swords, life-risking heroism, dangerous acts of self-sacrifice. But when we think of Courage as coming from the heart…..well, Sisters, we got this!

How are Fear and Courage showing up in your life right NOW? Share your story with the tribe in the comments section – we learn so much about ourselves by hearing from each other!

Big Love,

Chantal Pierrat

Founder, Emerging Women

Join Chantal Pierrat, Elizabeth Gilbert, Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Tererai Trent, Brené Brown and more at Emerging Women Live 2015 in San Francisco. Early Bird tickets to see are available NOW. Get yours before they’re gone!

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Anybody out there working with fear? #EmergingNow

Dear Emerging Women,

Ever since I made the big leap into entrepreneurship, my resolve to lead with awareness and compassion has been tested daily. And while I am great at staying positive in the face of adversity (check), or building a culture of collective support and authenticity (check), I sure do swear a hell of a lot more than I used to (damn, check). And I can’t seem to totally shake some disturbing feelings – like fear. Fear of public speaking (right?), fear of details (anyone else?), fear of failure (check and double check). But instead of slamming the door in the face of fear, I have come to love the practice of welcoming this old friend into my home. After all, we have grown up together and we have each changed so much over the years.

This is why I love Susan Piver’s work. She says that instead of tightening up to squeeze the fear away from ourselves, we have the capacity to open further and create more space. This, she says, will allow the fear to assume its rightful shape as just one thing that is going on with you at any given moment. And wow: to see what all else is happening around the fear – it’s a party!

I have had a tendency to create a vortex around my fear, following its spiraling, tenacious grip on my psyche. But now I know better. I remember that leaning into something doesn’t mean impaling yourself on it, it means allowing it to be and seeing it for what it is. The space Susan’s practice creates allows room for the rest of our experience to come in, which makes a much bigger (and more manageable) view possible.

We can’t ignore it – the fear is going to be there because we are committed to doing big things: launching businesses, writing books, forging new careers and stepping into our roles as authentic leaders. But when I start to see my fear as a member of a collective of human experiences, I feel more compassion toward it, and toward myself. I hope that this podcast will help you to “embiggen” your perspective so you can see all the amazing things that you are doing, and know that fear is just one of the many internal states that help us along our journey.

Big love,

Chantal Pierrat

Founder, Emerging Women

 


Leaning Into Fear and Falling Into Beauty – Susan Piver

 Super Early Bird Tickets are On Sale for EW Live 2015 in San Francisco!

We’d love to hear how you’re working with fear. Drop us a line in the comments: