This post is written by Nicole Miller, Courageous Action Lead.
Fear often wears a lot of masks.
Sometimes it looks like anger or perfectionism. Other times it could be anxiety or micro-managing.
Fear is tricky that way.
One of my favorites is “fear disguised as practicality.”
I first heard this in a commencement speech given by Jim Carrey in 2014 at Maharishi University of Management.
He shares a story about his father who could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that it was possible for him. Instead he made a conservative choice and got a safe job as an accountant.
And when Jim was 12 years old, his father was let go from that safe job and their family had to do whatever they could to survive.
He shared a great lesson from his father that “you can fail at what you don’t want so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”
He says, “What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect.”
I have made decisions based on perceived safety or security.
Behind those decisions were fear. Fear of failure, loss, the unknown.
It might be a helpful time to remind you that FEAR is nothing but:
FALSE
EVIDENCE
APPEARING
REAL
It’s nothing but a story. A story that is made up and not based in any truth.
So, if you find yourself in fear – disguised as practicality – this is your reminder to not always let practicality win. Within your greatest fear lies your greatest potential.
Have the hard conversation.
Bring up the big, bold and brave idea.
Go against the grain if your intuition is telling you to.
Share your “not so popular” opinion with your leadership.
Start that business you’ve been dreaming about building.
Pursue what you love.
And in case you want to check out Jim’s full speech, you can listen here.
