An Open Letter to Fear

Oh, hello Fear,

You are back again today.

I welcome you.

I feel your presence in my body

and I hear your voice growing louder.

Thank you for working so hard to get my attention

and for keeping me safe.

You do your job exceptionally well!

Today, Fear, I want you to know that we’re okay.

We are going to try something new 

or maybe something familiar again.

It may feel scary, unsettling and a little uncomfortable,

but I know that we can move forward together.

I also remember the times we’ve faced hard things before -

The churning stomach, the low-grade headache, 

tight, bound, anxious and confused.

We might feel some of those feelings today.

They are not a command to stop or a reason to stay stuck.

Today, Fear, we’ll take just one small step.

It won’t be perfect; 

It will probably be messy.

We won’t wait until we’re ready,

or until it feels ‘right’.

We will simply begin

with curiosity, compassion and courage.

And tomorrow, Fear, we will look back and say 

‘We did it! We did the hard thing!’

And we’ll remember that on the other side of discomfort

there is freedom, wonder and fulfilment.

We will smile and exhale together

already watching for our next opportunity to say ‘yes!’