I was on a conference call this week with two of my friends, and I was looking for feedback on some changes I’m making with my website. One of my friends said, “What’s your fear? What are you afraid of?” I was silent for a second and had to think about that. Do you ever think about what is holding you back?
What WAS I afraid of?? What imagined outcome was holding me back from making a decision?
It was a good discussion because I was able to verbalize what my fear was and then realize that the fear I was feeling wasn’t real. When was the last time you had a conversation with people who asked, “What is holding you back? What’s your fear?”
I’m not talking about having a superficial conversation about how the family is, what great weather we’re having, or where are you going on your next vacation. I am talking about having a REAL, MEANINGFUL conversation. Where you need to dig deep within yourself to find the answer, and you may even have an “Ah-Ha” moment where you discover something about yourself, a true discussion that might even make you a little uncomfortable.
I’ve written about how change is difficult and the need to face our fears, so this was a good lesson in living what I preach. I had to face what my fear was. I had to talk about it and realize that my fear wasn’t real.
Do you have people in your life that challenge you, and would ask that question of you when you’re struggling with a situation? Or do you surround yourself with people that just agree with you and feed into your frustration?
I am blessed and grateful for the people in my life that challenge me and will ask me the difficult questions, because they help me grow, and face my fears. We empower each other while navigating the changes in our personal and professional lives.
Is there a person that will ask you the tough questions? Here’s what a true friend would ask, “What’s holding you back from changing the situation? What’s holding you back from moving forward? What are you afraid of? What outcome is it that you’re expecting and is that a reality? Or is it just fear?”
In case you don’t have the friends that will ask you those tough questions. I will. Because if we are going to live with authenticity, and achieve what we truly want for our lives, we better start asking the tough questions.
With Gratitude,
