Hey Fear — I'm listening

When I slow down enough, I start to be able to hear myself, and usually when I do that, some crazy ideas come out. It's like a post-it brainstorming session for my life. The first ideas that appear are terrible — no, really, I'm not just being self-deprecating, they're really bad. The next ones are okay, but nothing earth-shattering or ground-breaking. But tonight I had an idea for a project to embark on, and it was truly terrifying, and that's when I knew I'd hit the jackpot.
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Pema Chödrön, American Tibetan Buddhist and writer of many books including When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, wrote:

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.

And there it is. Fear shows itself when I'm moving in the right direction. If I'm moving in the wrong direction I'm disinterested, but when it's right, it's daunting, unnerving, and I find myself filled with dread. I think that's because I care. If something bombs that doesn't matter, that's no skin off me. But if that project coming together is important, beginning it is really scary.

When we're afraid, we need to lean in, look closely, take our Superman stance, and feel the courage rise to meet that mighty foe. So I'm standing here, fists on hips, looking slightly up and off into the distance, feet planted on the ground. Fear — I hear ya, and I'm ready.