Fear is a Powerful Thing!

 I read an Instagram post this week that asked what we’d like to be able to go back 20 years or so and tell ourselves. Her own answer was “Stop fearing fear!” I LOVE that! And I have written several songs about this including one where I muse about what my future self would say to me. But also, a song that says that fear is a powerful thing – but love is the greater thing… And another that says, “don’t give into a fraction of the fear you feel.” And yet another that says, “let my spirit keep on growing – and I won’t fear it no more.”

So, how do we stop fearing fear… It occurred to me that although they say “we have nothing to fear but fear itself,” to stop fearing fear, we have to acknowledge fear, face fear, and deal with it. And move on, right? So, it’s not about running from the things we fear, but standing up to them. It’s not about avoiding things that make you uncomfortable but letting them come at you until you are not cowed by them.

And what do we fear? I know I fear confrontations and misunderstandings. It makes me not want to engage with anyone who stands on the other side of the aisle… I fear not being articulate enough to share my opinion if it differs from someone else’s. Or talk to someone that I think has prejudged me unfairly. So, I tend to steer clear rather than share my thoughts. I have nothing to fear if I avoid them -- but look at the missed opportunities to share my gifts, my strengths, and my own perspective!

Many people have stage fright, which I haven’t really had since I was 5 years old, and found out that humor made the audience smile…  “They love me, they really, really love me!” But there are aspects of performance anxiety that I do experience – video, and live-streaming. Oh my! What if I forget the words? What if I mess up this tricky part? If it’s captured on video, it might be watched more than once, and no amount of humor is going to help those imperfections slide by unnoticed. Whereas in live performances, there is a connection between the performer and the audience that makes it okay to not be perfect.

My song about fear being a powerful thing also has a verse that says “you can’t hide from fear, you can only turn around and face it. And you can’t fight your fear until you learn how to embrace it.” So, what does that mean for me? One more song quote: “I reach my hand out, while fear of rejection makes me tremble and fall down on my knees.” I guess I need to face my own fear of live streaming, and just go for it…  What’s the worst that can happen?

I forget these lessons fairly frequently. So, thank you Cayla for the Instagram post that got me musing about this again.  Growth is good…

Here’s Cayla’s Instagram post if you’d like to see it (and follow her! She’s awesome!): https://www.instagram.com/p/CicxEkPsuuA/

And if you’d like to take a listen to the songs I mentioned above here they are on Spotify!

Fine Tonight:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4e4I9J0x7lwQ14oZb5KwCE?si=76f50b78d3144fdf

A Powerful Thing:

https://open.spotify.com/track/7aTfOVzZkQqa5sgoo8FlxU?si=ce51cc74103847c6

Make it Real:

https://open.spotify.com/track/10iyhBplzrcUjKxMk70gHv?si=10218bb05de74960

The River:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6qWTOXNbyEiqFRdZ2tFz3P?si=9931a1fa1d7f43ba

Isolation:

https://open.spotify.com/track/2GU9acrwipTUjMkyZxdItq

And hey, you can also buy the full CDs these are on! Fine Tonight and a Powerful Thing are on my Peace CD, Make it Real and Isolation are on my Persephone’s Art CD, and The River is on my Rendezvous with the Moon CD. All available at https://verlene.com/recordings.html