Fear in Action

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~ Dale Carnegie

The founder of Ashtanga Yoga, Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois had a famous mantra: Do your practice and all is coming. My writer friends refer to it as a$$ in chair. It’s a call to action, doing, as Teddy Roosevelt said, what you can, with what you have, where you are.

In my case, the doing is sometimes disguised as an “avoidance hobby,” where I suddenly get busy doing everything except the thing I should be. When I look more closely at what I’m avoiding, it’s usually because I’m afraid of the unknown or of failure.

Acceptance is a big part of a yoga practice. Each time I get on the mat I start by quietly observing and accepting where I am and moving forward from there. I also practice looking at a challenging pose straight in the eye instead of turning away from it. And that’s when I realize that I’m stronger than I think I am.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. ~ Marianne Williamson

Back to Teddy Roosevelt:  TR’s quote is about accepting that there are things you can’t control, but it also strips away any excuse you have for not doing something. You don’t have to do something crazy. You don’t need to be the best. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

And that’s when you’ll realize that you’re stronger than you think you are.