One of my friends tweeted that they “wish they were more fearless.” As I read what she said I thought by the mere fact that she is able to make the statement shows just how fearless that she is because she is BEing authentic. Being mindful and self-aware in the moment is pure fearlessness.
Owning your present state: happy, sad, anxious, confident, nervous, angry, deftly scared, etc. it is all relative. Being able to embrace who and where you are is so precious, and invaluable.
Fearlessness does not mean you are never scared.
FEARLESSNESS=Identifying and admitting your fears (to yourself) accepting that and ultimately doing it any way (at your pace). Some people barrel through their fears; some may take a L.I.F.E.time.
But at the end of the day, does it matter? Your L.I.F.E. is your journey.
I believe being fearless is rather simple. And this simplicity is what frightens us. We, as a culture, are so afraid to simply sit and BE with ourselves. We live in an era of iphones, blackberries, social networking, and everything is busy, busy, busy. We are all incessantly on the go. I’m definitely not knocking technology because it definitely serves its purpose. But we definitely can stand to sit still and smell the roses.
In working with our R4L teens our ultimate mission is to instill self-worth and fearlessness into their lives. The simple formula that I use and model are based on the 4CUS Principles™
4CUS Principles™
1. Decide: Write down your list of goals/desires or if that is intimidating start with one thing.
One of my good friends and considered to be the real-life Indiana Jones, John Goddard, made a decision at 15 years old to Live In Full Expectation (L.I.F.E.) He simply made a L.I.F.E. list (aka known as a bucket list). And he literally has taken it one step at a time. Find out more about his travels and his L.I.F.E. at www.johngoddard.info.
2. Imagine: When you wake up in the mornings and before you go to sleep close your eyes and visualize yourself being your goal; whatever that might be. Imagine what you hear, how you feel, etc. as you are BEing whatever you desire.
3. Think: Write your goal in the present progressive and be very specific. Think about the various ways you can help your dream come to fruition. Mind mapping is a very useful tool during this process. Ex: I am joyfully and successfully writing my first book by December 31, 2010! Say your dream/goal when you rise in the morning and before you sleep in the evenings.
www.mindmeister.com
4. Act: JUST TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME. There is no rush. But because we live in a microwave society we think everything has to happen right away. Just put one foot in front of the other. Simply stay in your lane. Live your life. If you were driving on the highway and you attempted to get in someone else’s lane abruptly, you would crash. Ride out your L.I.F.E.
Remember there is no such thing as failure. Either you win or learn something. And you always win because you’re always learning.
Flexibility is Power. Remain open to the infinite possibilities that may come your way.
Some Fearless Individuals Who Took Their Passion and Created a Movement One Step At a Time:
Bill Gates, Microsoft
Mary McLeod Bethune, Bethune-Cookman University
Michael Dell, Dell Computers
Steven Spieldberg, Dreamworks Pictures
Oprah, Oprah Winfrey Show
Jason Carter, Sol Fusion & One Music Fest
Thich Nhat Hanh, Plum Village
Russell Simmons, Def Jam and Diamond Empowerment Fund
Michael Jordan, Air Jordan Brand
Nelson Mandela, South African Presidency and Abolishment of Apartheid
Dick and Rick Hoyt, Team Hoyt
John Dau, Duk Lost Boys Clinic
Dana Greene Burkhalter, Get Fit Atlanta
I’ll end with this. Everything that we see today began with an idea. An idea where individuals who were probably scared at some level: fear of failure, fear of lack of control, fear of the unknown. But the False Evidence Appearing to be Real (F.E.A.R.) did not stop them from moving forward. Fearless is taking it one step at a time. Just make the step…and BE Fearless!
“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Dr. Martin Luther King
4 L.I.F.E.!
Thx Rachel for BEing Fearless:)!
Mike
