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Hanging From A Cliff

By Doug Nielsen

If I were to ask you if fear is an effective strategy for dealing with uncertainty or for leading or building a business during a downturn, you most likely would respond “NO!”  But you may also say, “But I find myself there more than I would like.”

Doom and gloom, anxiety, depression, cynicism, despair, hopelessness…have never been, nor will they ever be effective methods for living your life. 

In my informal surveys with audiences across the country, I have found that 90-95% of them say that without a doubt they are more stressed and afraid of what the future holds than they were 1 year ago. 

Uncertainty is one of the most difficult things for us as humans to deal with.

Do you relate?  So how do you honestly deal with the fear of uncertainty and a heightened level of stress?

Recently I was deeply moved while reading about a climber who summitted Mt. Everest.  What is so amazing about his story is that he is blind…yes, blind.  His name is Eric Weihenmayer.  It is said that 75% of all climbers who attempt this monumental feat, fail.  As related in the book, Eric succeeded in large part due to his attitude.  Does this quote hit you like it did me?

“All my life, fear had nearly paralyzed me…For me, fear of climbing blind does not come when I am hanging securely from a fat hold or after latching on to the next.  The greatest fear is in the reaching at the moment when I have committed my body and soul to finding the next hold, when I am hoping, predicting, praying I will find what I am seeking.  Despite the pain and frustration of going blind, the death of loved ones, the loss of my eyes to glaucoma, none of it had been enough to stamp out hope.” 

As if hanging from a thousand foot cliff is not bad enough, being blind has got to trump everything.  What percentage of your day do you play it safe, allowing fear to take the helm? 

Ironically, the most dangerous course in both mountain climbing and life is a tentative effort.  Uncertainty and fear bring with them an attitude of playing it safe, allowing goals and dreams to slip out of sight and the magic of hope to go dark.   

If you were to ask me what my mission in life is, without a doubt I would say, “Helping people move from living a fear based life to a love based life.”  Fear is the strongest force stopping you from being truly free, being able to truly be, do and say what your heart nudges you to do.  If “all” of your fear was replaced by courage, how different would your life be?  Granted, it would be impossible to be completely free of irrational fear, but I am sure you would agree that your view would be vastly different.  You would breathe easier, sleep better and have a legitimate claim on peace.

You might ask, “How do I cope with fear during life’s storms?”  Here’s what I found works in the real world. 

These two principles worked with Eric and work for those who excel in the storms. 

First, live with a commitment of faith and second, act with courage in the face of tremendous fear!  Simple to comprehend, not easy to do.

At some level can you relate to Eric’s statement of being “paralyzed by fear?”  How did he deal with it?  By his 100% commitment of faith, not 51%, not 77%, but 100%.  It is doing your best and letting go of the outcome.  It literally is trusting your God, Higher Power, the Universe etc.  It is knowing what you can control, what you can’t control and then letting go and trusting.

Sure, you can drive yourself crazy and worry yourself sick about things you have no control over, but what good does that do?  Commitment of faith  and acting with courage suggests that you go “full on” toward your destination, nothing wavering. 

Faith is the ability to create in the mind where there is nothing physically manifested yet. 

Courage is then acting on this faith.

Courage is not the absence of fear, according to Mark Twain, but is resistance to fear and the mastery of it.

When you act with both faith and courage, it is then that hope comes, opening the window for you to see opportunities that were not there before.

This Month’s Invitation:

Please keep me in mind if ever you are aware of a group who could benefit from my message of peak performance during the storms.

Until next time, smooth sailing even in the storms and remember that your life is created one decision at a time. Choose wisely!