The above quote by Marianne Williamson, was taken from her book, "A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles." When working with clients, we start a six month program discussing this quote and what it means to them. Why? Because my role as a Health Coach is to not only support my clients to make healthier food choices, but to support them to fulfill their goals and to live the life they have always imagined for themselves. That means helping them face the fear that has been getting in the way of their goals. Like my clients, I have been riddled with fear my entire life. I fear that I am not pretty enough, smart enough or good enough. I fear that I will not be accepted or loved if I show the world my true colors - and my biggest fear is that I can actually succeed at whatever I set my mind to. It is a priority of mine to face these fears so that I can be the best Health Coach as well as role model to my clients. Today, I would like to delve a little deeper into my own personal fears and how I have been facing them:
In the past, when an opportunity came along to face my fear, I backed away thinking I wasn't strong enough to handle it. A good example of this would be dropping out of medical school. Yes, I got married the same year I started Medical which in hind sight was not a good idea, but the real reason I dropped out was because I truly did not feel I was good enough or smart enough. Who was I to be in the same class as other students who were a lot older than me and had multiple degrees? After all I was only a 20 year old pip squeak who graduated from Brooklyn College. I have come to realize that I will never achieve anything in my life or come even close to reaching my full potential with this unhealthy mindset. I am done feeling sorry for myself. NO MORE! I know that I can be a stronger version of myself because I can envision it, and if I can see myself being a stronger, happier and more confident Nelly then it must be that I can manifest it and make it my reality. To accomplish this I have been looking deep within myself and analyzing the source of my fear and the thought processes and experiences that have caused me to be so fearful, which has not been an easy process. To my delight, however, I recently had an experience that made me feel like I was on the right path towards overcoming my fear.
This past week, my family and I were celebrating my brother's thirteenth birthday, or Bar Mitzvah. Traditionally, speeches are made at big events like this one and since nobody in my immediate family stepped up to the plate, I volunteered. I have always feared public speaking, probably worse than death, and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to overcome my fear (even though I was doubting myself every step of the way and wanted to back out of my decision until the very last second) So there I was, standing in front of a room of 200 people about to give the speech. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest and was so nervous that I was literally shaking. I could feel the redness in my cheeks and my palms were sweating. However, once I started talking I realized it wasn't so bad. Not only was it not as scary as I envisioned in my mind but something came over me and I really got into the ideas that I was trying to convey, after-all, it was for my little brother, and I wanted it to be as meaningful as possible. By the end of my speech, I got a huge applause and people commended me for doing a great job through out the night.
I am here to tell you what ever you think you can not do....YOU CAN! You wouldn't even ponder the idea of 'IT' if you weren't capable of conquering it. The day of my brother's Bar Mitzvah will be etched in my mind forever because it is the day that I finally overcame my fear of public speaking. Triumph over our darkest fears gives us an internal strength that is priceless, and when I look back at my initial fear it seems so small and insignificant.
I encourage you all to go out there and do the thing that you are afraid of. If you can't do it on your own then seek out the support of your friends and loved once. Share your fears with people you are close with and you will be amazed at the support you will receive because everybody is afraid of something. I am sending you positive and loving vibes for a very fulfilling future, one which you have always imagined for yourself!
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