Feel the fear and do it anyway!

I recently had the opportunity to support my sister, a social researcher, by helping give some quotes for the local newspaper for a story she was going to be in. She has worked hard to become an expert in Australian baby names trends and she wanted me, as I'm expecting again, to give some quotes to the journalist, and be in the photos. 

Hmmm, no thanks.

Now as a busy mum, that is now 20 weeks pregnant, being quoted in a newspaper is a scary idea, particularly when it comes to baby names. I wouldn't want to offend anyone, look silly saying something on a topic I'm not an expert on  or give away any of the names my husband and I are thinking about using for our third baby! Plus, the idea of being in a professional photo at 20 weeks wasn't an exciting prospect. 20 weeks pregnant is what I like to call 'the awkward stage' where you don't quite have the big, cute bump yet, but you don't have your normal shape either!

A million excuses

Basically, I didn't want to do it. I've written before about feeling overwhelmed. I wasn't feeling glamorous or intelligent. Who does! I did, however, have the sense that this was just fear speaking up and that fear was going to win in this situation. And that was not ok. I knew I had a choice, and after thinking it over (I came up with plenty of logical and fair excuses), I felt the fear was growing and going to win. Instead, I chose to feel the fear and do it anyway!

So how did it go?

The interview with the journalist was fine, and the photo's of my sister, two kids and I looked great, despite my lack of confidence. It's been lovely to see the story online and then just last week, they even used it in the local paper in a print copy and it got front page!! What a bonus!

3 Tips for Overcoming Fear

It made me think, what's scary in life is often worth doing. Even though you feel inadequate, uncomfortable and incapable. The gold is inside all of us already. We just need to 'mine for it'. So, here's my three quick tips for overcoming fear.

Tip 1) Know that you have what it takes. You are made of gold, and despite lacking confidence, you are valuable beyond measure.

Tip 2) Acknowledge the emotion, but take action anyway! Feeling afraid is ok. In my story feeling afraid helped me recognise that I needed to be as prepared as I could be for something new.  Feeling afraid nearly stopped me from doing something I've never done before, however I chose to take action to overcome the fear, rather than simply not trying anything new. I chose to speak to people and discus what might be in the interview which helped me get ready and face my fear.

Tip 3) Think of others. A great way to get past a fear is to think of the way others will benefit once you take the step you are afraid of taking. When we live bold, others lives are enriched. My sister was celebrated for her expertise and my kids were able to be on a front page of a newspaper (for a good reason!!). 

Basically, taking on fear is a chance to see your true value, grow in confidence and skills, plus you get to help other people succeed.

I can't wait to get the hd photo from the journalist. I'm planning to frame it and display it in my studio. It not only represents a significant growth moment, but gosh, they got a great picture of my 3 year old boy. That alone was worth it all!!