In her wonderful book, Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert (who wrote Eat, Pray, Love) begins by talking about the fact that Fear is a necessary part of our makeup. She makes a wonderful analogy, that in our life journey, Fear gets to come along for the ride - BUT, we have to be very clear about the role that it plays… it gets to come along, it gets to sit in the backseat - but that’s IT. It doesn’t get to have a say in our journey, to influence which way we go, or to even play DJ!
I’m a big believer in moving in life with Intention. When we set out to do something, if we lead with fear, rather than intention, there is likely to be hesitation, second-guessing, and more often than not, we miss opportunities that the universe lays out for us, so busy are we, looking over our shoulder for what might come behind us, and worrying too far forward about what disaster could possibly happen. Our instinct isn’t to look for the magic we may create!
When we step out to cross a busy road, we do so with knowledge of what the risks are, and then firm intention to get to our destination. Imagine a sportsman playing tennis - if they hesitate, they miss the shot! If a racing driver lets fear take over as he races into a corner, chances are there will be hesitation and a nasty crash!
Our intention also carries a certain type of energy with it. What intention do we have when we project ourselves into the world? Is it aggressive or confident? Are we fearful or at ease? Do we believe in our journey and in who we are? When we believe fully and completely and lead with joy and positive intention, without letting fear take over, it seems we open the doors inside to access incredible amounts of potential, and opportunities and happy coincidences start appearing. As if by magic.
Because I suspect, that opportunity and joy are in fact fearful of fear itself. It has no place to make magic.
One of my favourite moments in a yoga class is when we stop and spot the difference between moving with intention instead of fear. Once we recognise fear, we can thank it for it’s presence, for caring enough to warn us about some potential perceived danger, and then shush up and be parked while we get on and move with intention and knowledge. On the yoga mat, just as in life, this is when the magic happens - when we start believing in ourselves that little bit more!