The March Bonus Blog 

There's One Thing I know About Fear For Sure...

It's holding you back.  That is a guarantee.  Since you're part of the inner L&C Crew Circle, you know I am super excited and super nervous to have you here on The Bonus Blog.  I am so excited that I practically psyched myself out when it came to coming with my first Bonus Blog topic.  

Quite honestly, pretty much every blogging day for the past nine months has been one battle with fear after another.  We're afraid we aren't good enough.  We're afraid we aren't ready.  And just when we overcome those two things, then we start to fear what other people will say if we chase after that idea or dream.  But what if they laugh at me?

So I figured the perfect way to start off The Bonus Blog is for us to chat about how to overcome our fears and move past them to our inner genius zones.

1. NAME YOUR FEAR MONSTER & THEN NAME YOUR WHY.

There's a funny thing about fear.  It's most effective when you don't know it's source.  Now I'm not talking the save-your-life-stranger-danger-fear.  That one is good.  Always listen to that one.  I'm talking the I-really-have-more-to-give-but-I-am-afraid-to-try fear.

Actually, when you think about it, we have the same response to stranger danger fear as we do to exploring new ideas fear.  That doesn't seem right.  But here's the truth: the first step to overcoming inner fears is naming them.  You cannot fight what you don't see and you don't understand.  So you've got to name your Fear Monster.  What exactly are you running from?

Once you know what you are truly afraid of then you can prepare your most powerful defense to it: your why.  You see now that you know why you are afraid to do something, you can explore why you really want to do it.  Want to go on a solo trip to a foreign place?  Want to write a book? Want to start a business?  Want to start a blog?  Why do you want to do these things?  Is it for adventure, a creative outlet, a new means of income, to help others within your community?

Once you know what you are afraid of, you can mount a defense.  So name your fear monster and name the compelling reason why you must overcome it.

 2. DO YOUR REARCH & THEN CALL IN REINFORCEMENTS.

After you've named your Fear Monster and you've named your why, now you're ready to do your research.  There's no reason to go off unprepared into the unknown.  In fact, learning more about your dream and how to go about it will actually go a long way to reducing some of your fears.

One of the beautiful things about the time we live in is that we can learn about almost any topic we so desire on the internet.  We can connect with almost any community of people through social media tools like LinkedIn, Facebook. Instagram, and Clubhouse.  We watch tutorials and read articles about almost any subject through YouTube, Google and many more tools.  So use your resources and dig into the mechanics on how to make your dream come true.

As you prepare to move forward, also look for ways to connect with likeminded individuals.  When I first started this blog, I didn't know anyone within the blogging community.  But the wonderful thing about bloggers (and dog moms) is that they love to talk.  I mean really, really love it.  So I put myself out there (virtually) and started to make friends within those communities.  And it's amazing the amount of love, support and HELP that I got back.

So look for ways to connect with your community.  Tell them about your dream or pet project and allow them to encourage you.  Not sure where to start?  Well the good thing about bloggers is as I mentioned, they love to talk!  So reach out to some of those bloggers who's Pinterest accounts and websites you love.  Say hello to that fellow artist account you follow on Instagram.  Facebook is a great way to meet people with like-minded interests via Facebook Groups.  Love dogs? There's a Facebook Group for that.  Want to start a business but don't know how?  There's a Facebook Group for that.  Want to get into affiliate marketing?  There's a Facebook group for that.  You get the idea.

The point is, your community members are your reinforcements.  They will help you when the going gets tough, they will encourage you when you are down and they will help you find solutions when you are stuck.  So go find them.  

3. DIVE RIGHT IN.

Now once all of that work is done, there is only one thing left to do...dive right in.  There will never be a perfect time.  You will never feel 100% ready.  You cannot avoid every mistake or failure.  And quite frankly, you don't want to.  Mistakes and failures (which I lovingly refer to as life's loving lessons) make us stronger, more resourceful, more resolved and smarter.

So go ahead and let go.  Give it a try.  That perfectionism that you say is holding you back is really procrastination dressed up in an ill-fitting suit it borrowed from your Fear Monster.  So don't let them fool you.  Yes there is a time for preparation and research, but that period is finite.  

So when you know enough to take action, take action.  You can improve over time.  For example, I am so very grateful that you can no longer see the first version of this website.  It was so sooo bad.  L&C isn't perfect now either, but it is soooo much better.  And as for those mistakes you're afraid to make, how about this?  I deleted the original version of THIS blog AND my About Us page when uploading my April Bonus Blog post.  No backups.  No recovery option.  No recollection of what I wrote.  Yup.  That sucked. (lol)  But I'm still here and so is the blog with slightly different versions of those pieces of content. 

So go for it.  Don't let fear win.  Take these steps to move past your insecurities and prove to yourself that you are so much more capable and talented than you ever knew.

 

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