Overcoming Our Deepest Fear: Reflections on the Power Within Us

Our Deepest Fear

by Marianne Williamson 

 Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 

As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

I’m not much of a poem person but this one has always resonated with me. The first time a came across this poem was watching the movie Coach Carter. The coach, played by Samuel L. Jackson repeatedly asks the questions.  “What is our Deepest Fear?”

It resonated with me for many reasons.  I often feel like I have to be less than myself to make all those around me more comfortable. I did not consider, until recently, that I had a fear of success. 

I wanted success, I could dream of success, and can see myself as successful.  So how could I possibly fear success?  My problem? I thought I had not figured out the steps. 

How Does Fear Show Up In Your Life

Recently, I have come to realize how my fear manifests.  It is not that I fear success directly. I fear the person I must become to be successful. Really I fear the rejection, I will receive along the path of becoming.

To move towards the success I want.  I have to be willing to be rejected. many... many times. I have to get through the thousands of No's to get to the few transforming Yes. Not to mention, I need to ask the right question. 

What is my deepest fear?   Rejection... It's important you understand your fears. Your fears acknowledge or not drive a lot of your decision making.

I caught myself doing it twice, recently.  The 1st was in putting together a proposal for a project.  I struggled with the offer price. It was the highest number, I've asked for but felt it was the right price. But there was one thing holding me back. I wanted a Yes instead of a No.

I put in the offer, It was rejected. It hurt a little bit. A quick no was much better than a year of feeling like I gave it away.

The second instance was working with a contractor on a house flip.  The contractor made a request I was not willing to agree. Instead of saying No, I said, “let me think about it”.  I didn’t need to think about it, my mind was already made up. 

I was trying to avoid the potential rejection.

The fact I was using the contractor was driven by fear of rejection. The contractor was recommended by someone helping us learn the real estate business. I didn't want to disrupt that relationship. We had someone else in mind. The end result, 3 days into the project... We had to fire the contractor.

While I was making these decision, I did not realize fear was int he drivers seat. It was later, while I was reflecting on the lessons learned in both instances that it came to the light. 

How Do You Fear Success?

My fear of rejection is my fear of success because to achieve anything significant in life includes rejection. 

It's true in the story's of many well known success stories. Read about any successful person and rejection is a part of their journey. Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Martin Luther King Jr, and Richard Branson to name just a few. 

Action is Louder Than Fear

Action creates feedback.  Feedback provides clues to success.  Both Failure and Success...

Seth Godin has a Concept

"If I fail more than you, I win"

The fear of being wrong or making mistakes is a common obstacle that can hold us back from pursuing our dreams. In the article “How To Overcome Your Fear of Being Wrong”.

Benjamin Hardy, PhD discusses how he struggled with fear for many years before finally deciding to start actively pursuing his dream of becoming an author. Despite producing imperfect work and facing rejection, he persevered and eventually achieved success with his first book.

I don’t know your deepest fear. I do know until you address it, it will define how you move about the world. It will not go away overnight but awareness and defining it is the first step to moving towards your aspirations, goals, and future self.  

What to do about your Fear?

Take some time to think about success and failures and more importantly the decision made during both.

Write about your motives, the reasoning? Why you did.. What you did.

Was it based on fact or feelings?

What were your feelings?

Was their fear that drove your feelings?

These questions can help you dig into your keys and blockers for success.

Acknowledge it, talk about it with others you trust and be aware of it while making decisions.  

We must be relentless in addressing our fears of success.  It will not be easy but what is worth doing is.

Go ahead … write it down… what are you afraid of?

I hope this helps you.  I know it helped me.

Until Next Time…

P.S. There are four other F words that can be the start building a life you can’t wait to get up each morning.  Join the FREE 5-Day Four F’s Email Course!

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