Many years ago, when I was living in Gettysburg PA, raising teenagers and going through a midlife awakening, my friend Corinne and I would take a walk together a few days almost every week.
As we walked we searched for answers to the issues that were challenging us.
Sometimes it was the kids, marriage or friends; other times it was money or our work.
It was always about how we wanted to learn and grow so we could be better people in the face of these challenges.
At the root of most of our challenges was fear.
I am currently facing a challenging situation in my life. It involves buying and moving to a new house while selling our old house, growing my training business to a new level, and helping the coaches in my community do the same.
It’s a challenge to manage, integrate and accomplish all these projects.
One thing I have learned from my own experience is that growing a coaching business is bound to bring about fear.
It just makes sense, doesn’t it? It is something you really want to experience for so many reasons.
I read somewhere, “Everything you want is just outside of your comfort zone.”
If you are aiming for something you love and heading into the unknown to get it, fear will appear!
Addressing that fear is the number one activity that will help you reach your dream. It’s something that I’m doing now and have been learning to do for a couple of decades.
What is alive in me today, that I would like to unpack with you, are some ways that have helped me.
So you can look to see what is on the other side.
Once you have faced that fear you can see a new truth … usually, it’s one that will set you free.
On those walks I took with my friend Corinne, we always ended up at a statue located at the Lutheran Seminary high on a beautiful hill with beautiful views of the countryside and the quaint little town below.
On the statue were the words…
”And Ye Shall Know the Truth
And the Truth Shall Set You Free”
We made it a ritual to stop when we reached that statue to see what truth our conversation had unearthed.
There always was one.
Often, it would be a truth that was humbling and grounding and brought us clarity.
Sometimes it was not what we wanted to hear, but we knew and felt its truth.
Sometimes we celebrated that truth.
We knew it was the truth because of how it felt. The truth has a certain feeling to it that is unlike anything else I know.
Below are a few things that help me get to that feeling. I offer them to you as you face fears of your own in growing your coaching business.
1. Separate fear from phenomenon.
Take a look at the phenomenon that is triggering the fear. Notice that a circumstance, situation, or fact is occurring about which you have a judgment that triggers the emotion of fear.
Notice the message or story the fear tells you about the phenomenon. Usually it is all about an urgent “lack, not enough, bad things are going to happen, watch out for this, what about that!”
The phenomenon is simply information to look at and make a choice about.
It may not be a circumstance you like. it may make you uncomfortable. But if you let go of the judgement and resulting fear for a moment – and view the phenomenon as a neutral fact – you can more easily identify the fear, which is then easier to manage.
2. Once you have addressed the fear, now what?
Pull out the truth. It could be true that you are a beginner at this. It could be true that you actually know a lot! Whatever is true will feel good, solid, and grounded. Separate the truth from the sabotaging fear and you now have choices available to you.
3. Take action from this grounded truth.
If you really want to keep fear at bay, I suggest you take consistent action to find out what works and what doesn’t. To uncover which direction brings you joy and prosperity, and which you no longer will pursue.
4. My final word – Have Courage.
You might think it is easy to have faith that everything will be okay. The truth is it takes courage to have faith.
Courage comes from the heart. Courage to have faith in yourself, even when you don’t know. Courage to have faith in moving forward, even if you are likely to fail. Courage to have faith in your dreams, and make them a reality.
Ep. 37 – Kat Knecht – Facing Fear & Growing Forward
Fear is part of the journey to success—but how do we navigate it? In this episode, we break down the difference between fear and phenomenon, explore practical strategies for facing challenges, and share a 7-day challenge to move forward with confidence.
