The fear of not being good enough...
The fear of not finishing...
The fear of rejection...
The fear of commitment...
The fear of failure and even of success...
Fear is a creative block that is often associated with our belief that we do not have the necessary skills to find new solutions to meet our challenges. Fear is also related to the pressure we put on ourselves to achieve something, usually in circumstances that are unfair to ourselves. Laurence Boldt stated in Zen and the Art of Making a Living that fear of failure often results from a false definition of what failure is, and by extension, of what success is. Do you put unnecessary pressure on yourself? Are you worried about how other people are judging you or your creative projects?
Fear occurs when we put the end goal, the outcome and completion over and above the benefit of the process. The result is that RATHER than measuring success in terms of doing your best and being happy with giving something your all, you judge yourself prematurely. Failure can be a failure of effort rather than the outcome of applying yourself to your goals. Moreover, it is far better to incorporate ideas of 'success' into your dynamic and shifting self-defined purpose rather than rely on other people who may not be aware of the complexity of your project, it's guises and transformations. You are better equipped than others not to judge yourself!
Why waste your creative energy on fear? Be nice to yourself! Practice discipline. Pursue your goals, but know when to rest and forgive yourself when things don't work out quite the way you expected. Learn how to Adapt and Let Go. Know that you are working to enhance your freedom rather than diminish it.
Remember that the pressure that we put on ourselves is usually unfair pressure as we have yet to give ourselves the opportunity to realise our goals. That process of striving toward out goals should be a nurtured-process, where we feel enthusiasm and compassion for ourselves along the way. Mistakes may be made, but call fear for what is.
Fear is also often a disguise for negative beliefs, such as What's the use? Fear means you may be secretly in despair, or disheartened. You may be feeling unsupported in the goals you would like to achieve. You may be worried about making the wrong choice or not being in control. Negative beliefs keep you scared but rather than deny fear or pretend that it doesn't exist, you can learn to harness your fear by acknowledging this shadow-emotion and validating it. For example, try drawing what you fear... or drawing your 'monster' (that part of yourself that holds you to ransom). You can problem solve and respond to fear by putting into place an action plan for overcoming this powerful emotion.
Cognitive Behaviour techniques, Art Therapy and Mindfulness offer excellent practices to overcome fear. Rather than submit yourself to the iron grip of this emotion, discover new ways to acknowledge, validate and overcome your fears.
Originally published on Jan 25, 2011
