Starting something new is hard.

Creating outside of your comfort zone is terrifying.

What do you do when the fear and resistance demons come for you?

Recently, I signed up for a business mentorship program to help me get my editing business off the ground, and let me tell you, the price tag and expectations are daunting. This will be the scariest thing I’ve ever done. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing; in fact, this fear probably means it is.

As Marisa Murgatroyd said at Message to Money Live, people feel the most alive on the edge of our comfort zones and most safe when secure. We live this eternal dance between the two, and it’s holding us back. We need to push forward into that fear, embrace it, and only then can we reach our true potential.

Well, here goes nothing. I’m diving off the deep end.

But as I flail around in the water, someone reaches out and takes my hand. My husband. My friends and family. My new mentor. No one will let me drown, as long as I ask for help.

That’s the point of this post, emphasizing our need to be vulnerable to those around us. People who love us want to help, want to be there for us, but how can they if we don’t let them inside? 

Sometimes the scary things are so big that you don’t want to think of them, don’t want to voice them out loud, but that’s just what you need to do. Voice your fears to not let them have power over you. Voice your fears to let them go and let someone else inside instead. Let your loved ones’ encouragement flow through inside instead. 

You know it’s there. You know you’re loved. You only need to ask.

It’s nice to think that someone will read your thoughts and know that you’re internally freaking out, but it’s often a fantasy. People just don’t work like that. We haven’t figured out telepathy yet, okay? Science is working on it. So, instead, you might need to actually tell someone what you need.

Be upfront with your need. There’s no shame in it, no weakness.

This past week, I actually sat my husband down and said: “I’m feeling vulnerable about this; I need you to reassure me. Multiple times until it sinks in.” Just like that. Of course, he complied. He held me, soothed me, and encouraged me. Until it sunk in.

Don’t be afraid of being open and honest with your fears and your needs. They make you human. 

And to be human is to create, and explore new paths, and begin exciting endeavors. You can’t do any of that if you’re paralyzed by fear.

So, despite being scared, I am embarking on a new journey to help people bring their stories out into the world and to shape them into something beautiful. I hope you’ll join me on my journey—and seek my services if you should need your own help—because I want to be open and vulnerable enough to share it with you. 

What projects or goals have left you panicked in the past? How did you find your way out of fear?