Fear is not the enemy — it’s the invitation.
(Written by Allison Gilmore, MBA, COE, ELI-MP)
Fear… My Uninvited Guest:
My heart pounded as I stood outside a room filled with a hundred people I didn’t know — fear, my uninvited guest.
Fear of judgment.
Fear that I wasn’t good enough and I was an imposter.
What was I going to say?
What would people think of me?
Had I made the right decision to step away from security and follow my heart to help others?
“Just breathe, Allison… remember your why,” I whispered to myself as I stepped into the room…
Choosing Courage Over Comfort:
“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both.”
— Brené Brown
This quote hangs on the wall of my house. A daily reminder of the choice I get to make.
Courage is something we all long for, yet being courageous can be scary, risky, and frankly, really hard.
Comfort, on the other hand, feels safe and familiar.
But here’s the truth:
- Comfort does not build new relationships.
- Comfort does not stretch us or help us grow.
- Comfort does not open new opportunities or let us lean into our passion.
Courage does that.
Courage takes us to places we may never have imagined.
It opens doors to new people, new experiences, and a deeper understanding of who we are.
When we choose courage, our lives (and the lives of those we touch) can change in miraculous ways.
Courage Doesn’t Always Look Grand:
Courage doesn’t have to mean leaping off cliffs or starting revolutions.
Sometimes, courage is as small and impactful as saying:
“I’ll try again tomorrow.”
It’s choosing to show up after a setback, to speak up when your voice shakes, to begin again when you’d rather give up.
Courage doesn’t simply appear because we wish for it.
It’s created in the moments we are given the opportunity to BE courageous … and we choose to lean in.
The Partnership Between Fear and Courage:
Ambrose Redmoon once said:
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is greater.”
Courage and fear. Hmm. Courage AND fear. Two sides of the same coin??
Could we truly recognize courage if we had never felt fear?
Fear is not the enemy, nor the end of the story.
And courage?
It’s a lot easier when we’re not alone.
If we want to be courageous, we need people who believe in us, support us, challenge us, and bring out the best in us — family, friends, colleagues, mentors, coaches.
They help us face fear so we can build courage.
The Next Chapter:
So with courage in my sights, and fear still my companion, I walked into the room.
I don’t know what the end of that story looks like yet, but I’m excited to see how God writes it.
I hope it’s a story of success, but even if it isn’t what society deems as success, I know that by choosing courage, I have already succeeded.
Reflection:
So, if we compare the outcomes of comfort vs. courage…
COURAGE. IS. WORTH IT.
Ask yourself:
- How will I lean into courage today?
- Who will I surround myself with to support my journey?
- Can I see fear not as an enemy, but as an opportunity to grow?
- Do I believe that courage is worth it?
A Personal Invitation:
I would love to partner with you as you acknowledge fear and choose to lean into courage.
If you’d like to explore how coaching can help you uncover your own courage, I’d be honored to connect.
Schedule a complimentary discovery session with me: https://calendly.com/allison-mindset/coaching-discovery-call
Together, we can turn fear from your uninvited guest into your greatest teacher.