It’s been twelve whole months since Dr. Hick helped us embark on a year of fearless living. Here, she offers some final wisdom to our grateful hearts.
Well folks, it’s been a year—a year of stepping outside of your comfort zones, imagining how your life, work, relationships, and health could be different, of expanding yourself beyond what you thought was possible—through fearlessness.
Can you believe it? I certainly cannot.
As I prepared to write the final piece (of many chapters to be written on life’s journey) of this year’s series on Fearless Living in 2015, I looked back at where it all began—and I encourage you to do the same.
Origins of a Journey
My journey in fearlessness was born on the ski mountain, just about this time last year. Looking down the ski mountain, scared—no, terrified—of losing control, going way too fast, and getting hurt. These three feelings can pretty much sum up my go-to fears (and why don’t we sprinkle a little fear of imperfection and failing to spice things up).
As I recall, I made it down the mountain—albeit slow and a little wobbly. On my way back up the lift, I watched as the young skiers bombed down the mountain, fearlessly. It was then that my ski-mate asked me, “Why don’t you do what they do—ski without fear?”
It was then that my best day of skiing and a year-long journey in fearlessness began.
Lesson #1: Fearlessness Is Not the Absence of Fear
Something that took me the better part of the year to figure out was that my ski-mate was wrong.
Yes, my ski-mate’s message did get me down the mountain, and helped me face my fears of losing control, going too fast, and getting hurt. However, I did not make it down through an absence of fear—one of many misconceptions about fearlessness.
The first, and perhaps the most important, lesson that I learned about fear is that fearlessness is not the absence of fear; fear is essential to access the power of fearlessness.
https://www.meetmindful.
