Written by Lakecia Gunter
In times such as these, when I face an uncertain future caused by an international pandemic, there are voices that speak to me in my deepest, darkest moments of fear. They speak to me when I am standing at the doors of new opportunities, saying I am not up to the challenge. When I’ve been kicked to the ground and am trying to get back up, the voices say: “You don’t have the strength for this.” And those voices are relentless if allowed to go unchecked:
· You are going to fail spectacularly.
· You will be humiliated and rejected.
· You are a total fraud.
· You are not enough.
· You are unworthy.
· You do not deserve a seat at this table.
· You have no power.
Do you also hear voices like these? Know this: these voices, these fears that conspire to hold us back from our greatness, they only have power over us if we allow it. Fear is a current that runs through all of our lives, at times more potent than others. When we allow it, fear can keep us locked up in the comfortable and predictable prison, which prevents us from reaching our true potential. Fear is often a prerequisite to positive change in your life. A person with a healthy relationship with fear can say, “This is what’s happening. I’m going to accept it, embrace it, run towards it, and allow my body to feel the fear.” Fear is an emotion, and emotions are data. Data provides clarity, and with clarity of thought, I can determine the best course of action to resolve any challenge I am facing.
We must first transform our relationship to fear and anxiety. FEAR is an acronym that can take on two meanings: False Evidence Appearing Real or Face Everything and Rise. The choice is yours. Fear then becomes a tool for growth, not an obstacle to our success.
Allow fear to be the powerful, powerful tool that it is. Instead of letting fear be a signal to run, let’s use it as a compass pointing us to the subjects worth learning and the work worth doing. If appropriately used, fear can be a competitive advantage.
Acknowledge your fears. Harness them and use them to fuel you to action. While I am afraid of failing, I am even more afraid of not trying at all. Everything we want is on the other side of fear. Fear is temporary, but regret is forever.
Put fear aside and begin to devise a strategy to overcome the challenge you are facing. Let fear be a call to action. Here are four steps that you can use to overcome your fears and access your courage to achieve your goals: ROAR!
ROAR stands for Reflection, Opportunity, Action, and Relationships. ROAR is a four-step process that allows you to face your fears and pursue your ambitions. Your response to your ROAR is how you will manifest your most meaningful goals and dreams.
It is time to quiet those voices, calm those fears, access your courage, become fearless, and live boldly into the greatness you can accomplish! Unleash your power by unleashing your ROAR.
To learn more about unleashing your ROAR and moving from fear to focus in times of uncertainty, tune into the Podcast with Lakecia Gunter on Apple iTunes,http://bit.ly/roarpodcast
And join the community on Facebook to continue the conversation on accessing your ROAR to achieve more. https://www.facebook.com/RoarWithLakecia
Lakecia Gunter is the Vice President/General Manager of the Internet of Things (IoT) Global and Strategic Engagement Team at Microsoft Corporation. She is responsible for growing and scaling Microsoft’s IoT business with and through their largest and most strategic partners and customers – this includes revenue as well as technical adoption/acceleration.
Connect with Lakecia on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakecia-gunter-5578253/