It’s Monday. Monday evening, to be exact.
I don’t know why I didn’t post anything before tonight.
I think I’d gotten into a pretty good pattern of posting on Fridays, so I almost forgot that I hadn’t updated my blog this weekend. But I remembered. And then I still put it off.
Lots of random thoughts contributed to my reluctance to post.
I don’t know what to focus on this week. Am I doing this right? What if some people want to read about mental health, but others just want spiritual applications for “normal” life? (As if any of us are truly “normal.”) I don’t want to whine about not writing my book again this week…people are surely getting sick of that. Blake graduated from Northwestern College on Saturday, maybe I should write about that milestone. Or maybe I should focus on Mother’s Day. I have a pretty great mom. She’d like that.
And as these thoughts all rolled around in my head, I realized that it all boiled down to fear.
I’m afraid of doing it wrong.
I’m afraid of disappointing someone.
I’m afraid I’ll annoy somebody.
I’m afraid I’ll be judged.
And then I remembered my number 1 Fear Archetype: People Pleaser (fear of what other people will think). My number 2 is Procrastinator (fear of making a mistake), and number 3 is Outcast (fear of rejection).
No wonder I put off writing my post this week!
My fear archetypes were confirmed (because I already knew I battled them) when I took the Fear Archetype Assessment at Do It Scared (DoItScared.com). You can take the assessment yourself and see what fear is holding you back the most.
If you know fear is a big problem for you, you may want to consider purchasing Ruth Soukup’s new book: Do It Scared. It comes out next Tuesday, May 21. I’m part way through the book (I got an advanced digital copy) and I can already tell it’s going to be helpful as I move forward in spite of my fears.
As Ruth says (in her book and in her awesome podcast by the same name):
Courage doesn’t mean we are never afraid, courage is simply daring to take action, despite our fear.
So, whether you get the book or not, I hope you’ll spend a little time today thinking about what might be holding you back from doing all of the things you say you want to do. I won’t bore you with my list. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you can probably list them for me. That’s my problem, and I need to get brave enough to start taking massive action toward accomplishing all of those goals.
What you need to do today is make your own list of things you’ve been saying you want to do for weeks, months, or even years. What fears are keeping you from doing them? What thoughts are bouncing around in your head, distracting you from stepping out in faith instead of staying stuck in fear?
It’s important to change how we’re thinking if we want to make any progress. I know a big part of that is making sure I’m thinking the way God tells me to think: about myself, about others, about relationships, about the world around me, and about a life that honors Him.
Don’t be scared, friends. You can do it! And if you still feel some fear, just go ahead and Do It Scared.
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4 ESV)
How much do your fears hold you back? How can focusing on God help you to fight those fears and move forward in spite of them?
(This post contains an affiliate link for Ruth’s book…oh, and also, sorry for the picture in my graphic this week. It shocked me every time I looked over at the computer while I was working on it. I guess I nailed the “scared” part!)
Love the pic and love the post! It’s the story of my life in many ways- not doing it because I’m scared! This really challenged me to Do It Scared 😊. Thanks Robyn!
Thanks, Karen! I know fear holds so many of us back. We need to keep moving ahead, even when we’re scared. Better to risk failure than live with regret, right? Let’s do those scary things! ~Robyn
I don’t know how you do it, but somehow you always manage to get inside my head and read my thoughts! I have lived with fear for a long time. But, I’ve also learned that the more you “do it scared” the easier the next task will be. I suppose we are both big works in progress! Thanks for your wisdom and your humor! Love the brave photo!
Thanks, Susan! I guess all of are big works in progress…it’s kind of exciting to see what God leads us to in His perfect timing (kind of boggles the mind to think that even when we drag our feet and get stuck for a while because of fear, we’ll still get things done in God’s timing). Praying for you as you do it scared! ~Robyn (eh, that picture…I maybe should have toned it down a bit) 🙂