Waiting for the Fear to Subside

 Waiting for the Fear to Subside

There are two problems with this strategy:
A. By the time the fear subsides, it will be too late. By the time you're not afraid of what you were planning to start/say/do, someone else will have already done it, it will already be said or it will be irrelevant. The reason you're afraid is that there's leverage here, something might happen. Which is exactly the signal you're looking for.
B. The fear certainly helps you do it better. The fear-less one might sleep better, but sleeping well doesn't always lead to your best work. The fear can be your compass, it can set you on the right path and actually improve the quality of what you do.
Listen to your fear but don't obey it.

This is a daily blog from Seth Godin (author of Linchpin).  I recommend getting his little nuggets of advice everyday to motivate you to keep pushing for your unique creativity to come out in any field you might be in.  Here is the link: http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/subscribe.asp

Adding to his thought on fear, I have decided I don't want to be a person who looks back at her life and regrets not taking the risks.  So what if you fail? - it is better to know the answer to the question "what if" instead of spending my last years haunted by that question.  Although, this is much easier said than done; I am definitely still learning. However, now anytime I feel the fear creeping in I decide that means it is time to push myself past it (as long as it is not a reckless move like skydiving without checking your gear).  Sometimes fear is very legitimate and worth listening to but most of the time it is completely debilitating and robbing you from fulfilling the deep desire within you to offer your best.  Look around and see how many people spend their lives ruled by their fear.  What's the worst that can happen?  People may laugh? They do anyway - there will always be critics.